This is quite a startling statistic!
26 percent of female teens have a sexually transmitted disease, study finds
'WAKE-UP CALL' FOR HEALTH SYSTEM
A first-of-its-kind federal study showing
26 percent of American female teens have at least one sexually transmitted disease brought mixed reaction from health care professionals Tuesday, with some saying the findings were disturbing - but not necessarily surprising.
In a sweeping federal study thought to be the most comprehensive look at STD infection rates among
girls and women ages 14 to 19, researchers found that infections from sexual activity of teens are a serious public health problem, and that young African-Americans are the most severely affected.
Some doctors said the numbers might reflect the downside of both abstinence-only sex education and teens' own sense of invulnerability. Because some sexually transmitted infections can cause infertility and cancer, U.S. health officials called for better screening, vaccination and prevention.
Only about half of the teens in the study acknowledged having sex. Some teens define sex as only intercourse, yet other types of intimate behavior including oral sex can spread some diseases.
The rate was even higher among those who admitted having sex - 40 percent had an STD.
"I think it's a wake-up call for parents and for the medical system," said Alina Salganicoff, vice president for women's health policy at the Kaiser Family Foundation in Menlo Park. "Clearly, this is a really important part of adolescent health that we need to be paying attention to."
The overall STD rate among the 838 teens in the study was 26 percent, which translates to more than 3 million nationwide, researchers with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found.
http://www.mercurynews.com/news/ci_8...nclick_check=1
Always wear a condom in that high risk third world country.
