Health
Sex infections still growing in U.S., says CDC
(Agencies)
Updated: 2009-11-16 15:26
Syphilis, chlamydia and gonorrhea can all be treated with antibiotics but untreated can cause pelvic inflammatory disease, infertility, ectopic pregnancy and can infect newborns.
Douglas said better sex education can help.
"We are not honestly and openly dealing with this issue and it's the larger issue of sexual health," he said.
Douglas said children and teens need to know about condom use, and should limit their number of sex partners and avoid sex with people who do have many other sex partners.
"If you are a man who has sex with men you ought to be getting a battery of STD tests every year," Douglas added.
In addition, black Americans need to understand their risks. Douglas said high rates of incarceration of men in many black communities meant fewer men have sex with more women, in turn often spreading sexually transmitted diseases.
Overall, CDC estimates that 19 million new sexually transmitted infections occur each year, almost half among 15- to 24-year-olds.
