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This activity examines the causes, symptoms, and rates of several different types of sexually transmitted infections (STIs).
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If left untreated, the sexually transmitted infections (STIs) described in the diagram below may lead to serious reproductive and other health problems, or even, as with HIV/AIDS and syphilis, to death. STIs can be avoided by consistently using condoms, having sex monogamously with an uninfected partner, or abstaining from sex—oral, anal, and genital.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that nearly 20 million new sexually transmitted infections occur every year in this country, half among young people ages 15–24. Why do sexually active teenagers have higher rates of the most common STIs than do people in other age groups? (You may wish to explore CDC Atlas, which shows geographic patterns and time trends of several different STIs.)
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REFERENCES
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2016b, October). Sexually transmitted disease surveillance 2015. Atlanta, GA: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2018, October 15). Sexually transmitted disease surveillance 2017. https://www.cdc.gov/std/stats17/default.htm
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2019, April 12). Statistics overview: HIV surveillance report. https://www.cdc.gov/hiv/statistics/overview/index.html
McQuillan, Geraldine; Kruszon-Moran, Deanna; Flagg, Elaine W. & Paulose-Ram, Ryne. (2018, February). Prevalence of herpes simplex virus type 1 and type 2 in persons aged 14–49: United States, 2015–2016. NCHS Data Brief, 304. Hyattsville, MD: National Center for Health Statistics.