STDs and Teens
A recent study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimated that 3.2 million girls (approximately one in four) between the ages of 14 and 19 in the US are infected with at least one sexually transmitted disease (STD). The study examined the prevalence of human papillomavirus (HPV), chlamydia, herpes simplex virus, and trichomoniasis, but it did not test for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), which causes acquired immunodeficiency disorder (AIDS). Other study findings, however, indicate that young people in the US continue to be at risk for HIV infection. For example, approximately 4,800 young adults were diagnosed with HIV infection or AIDS in 2004.