A government study – conducted by researchers of the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention – has revealed an alarmingly wide prevalence of sexually transmitted diseases among
girls and young women according to federal
health officials. One in four white in comparison to half of African-American girls in age group of 14 to 19 years has been found infected with at least one of four common sexually transmitted diseases caused by bacteria, viruses and parasites. The study has revealed that 18 percent girls are infected by human papilloma virus or HPV, 4 percent by Chlamydia, 2.5 percent by trichomoniasis parasite and 2 percent by genital herpes while 15 percent suffered from more than one disease.
Most of HPV infections cause no apparent symptoms at the onset and clear the body in less than a year, others can cause irritating vaginal discharge and painful pelvic inflammation. In the long term they can cause genital warts,
infertility and cervical cancer. Though the study based on a broad national survey conducted in 2003-04 and presented only last week, did not include HIV, AIDS,
syphilis and gonorrhea, it is being considered more reliable because it was based on direct testing. Its findings are causing wide consternation among experts as the situation poses grave danger to all sexually active teenagers. Even among girls with only a single sexual partner, 20 percent were found infected. With an estimated 19 million new sexually transmitted infections adding each year among all age groups of women in the United States, devising protective measures to cover those most at risk has assumed utmost urgency; untreated STD’s can lead to serious health hazards.
The preventive measures being seriously contemplated include need to strengthen regular screening of sexually active girls to detect infection, vaccination, retesting of all those infected three months after treatment to detect possible reinfection, treatment of all sex partners, easy access to contraceptives, real comprehensive sex education and counseling. (New York Times, March 12, 2008). DNBhatnagar
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