One-fourth of American girls aged 14 to 19 have a sexually transmitted disease, CDC researchers reported yesterday at the 2008 National STD Prevention Conference in Chicago.
As part of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, some 800 teenage girls were asked about human papillomavirus, chlamydia, genital herpes, and trichomoniasis, and also submitted vaginal swabs for testing.
Among other findings:
- STDs were more common in black than white teens (48% vs. 20%).
- HPV and chlamydia were found most often — in 18% and 4% of all girls, respectively.
- Some 15% of infected girls had more than one STD.
You can read the CDC press release here. (Free)
New York Times story "Sex Infections Found in Quarter of Teenaged Girls"
I've been writing about the prevalence of STDs in today's children for well over a year. [See collected posts here.] This is a serious social issue and medical issue for children and their families, especially since so many children are infected with HPV (human papillomavirus) that predisposes young women to cervical cancer. For this reason, I provide my clients who are parents of teenagers with information about HPV and Gardasil, Merck's vaccine to defend against the strains of HPV that cause cancer.
Please feel free to forward this information to parents of teenagers.
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