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Sexually transmitted diseases are a major health concern for today’s adolescents
Posted by WaikhuSexually transmitted diseases are a major health concern for today's adolescents. STD is a term used to describe any disease contracted through sexual contact (Crowe, 1992). You can contract an STD through oral, anal, or genital sex with an infected partner. Every year, more than 12 million Americans become infected with an STD (Crowe, 1992). Of these 12 million, the number of STD cases among adolescents has increased dramatically due to biological, behavioral, and psychological factors (D'Angelo & DiClemente, 1996). AIDS is another major concern for youths because a sexually transmitted infection (HIV) can result in a fatal illness (AIDS) . By the end of 1993, the number of reported AIDS cases was 1528 for individuals aged 10-19 (D'Angelo & DiClemente, 1996).
| Some Common STDs and Symptoms | |
| CHLAMYDIA | Men experience burning on urination and discharge from the penis. Women often have no symptoms (4 out of 5) until Pelvic Inflammatory Disease. It is treatable and curable with antibiotics. |
| HUMAN PAPILLOMAVIRUS INFECTION (GENITAL WARTS) | Warts appear as painless growths around the genitals in men and women. People who are infected but do not have symptoms can still transmit the virus. Treatable and curable with cyrotherapy, laser, or chemical treatment. |
| GONORRHEA: | Men experience burning on urination and discharge from penis, some times sore throat or diarrhea. Women often experience no symptoms until Pelvic Inflammatory Disease begins. Similar to chlamydia. Treatable and curable with antibiotics. |
| HEPATITIS B: | Fatigue, nausea, and jaundice with dark urine. Some people experience no symptoms or only mild ones. Treatable but not curable. It is completely preventable by a hepatitis b vaccine. |
| HIV/AIDS | People infected with HIV may show no symptoms for many years but are still able to transmit the infection. Medications are available to possibly slow down the course of HIV infection and prevent many complications, but there is no cure and AIDS is fatal (Crowe, 1992). |
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