A Nation's Wake-up Call: One in Two Will Have An STD By Age 25...

Estimates released today show more than 9 million new sexually transmitted diseases (STD) among youth aged 15-24 every year in the United States. The infections will cost more than $6 billion in direct medical costs, according to research from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health (article 1, article 2), published by The Alan Guttmacher Institute.

"These numbers on the human and financial costs of STD's in youth should be wake-up call for the nation," said Joan Cates, principal investigator of a project in the UNC-Chapel Hill School Journalism and Mass Communication assessing the magnitude and impact of STDs on youth. "We're not using the tools already available to fight these infections, and we're letting down our youth because of it."

For the first time, researchers estimated the annual number of new infections in youth from the eight major STD's: chlamydia, genital herpes, gonorrhea, hepatitis B, HIV-AIDS, human papillomavirus (HPV), syphilis and trichomoniasis. Other scientists described the economic and emotional impact of the infections.

A report released today by the School summarizes the implications of the estimates and offers solutions to the problem. Our Voices, Our Lives, Our Futures: Youth and Sexually Transmitted Diseases calls for open lines of communication among all stakeholders.

"At the most basic level, we are not communicating well enough to make a difference," Cates said. "We need a comprehensive national dialogue on the issue. our youth panel told us loud and clear that no one solution will work for everyone. They recommend that we- parents, youth-service providers, teachers, clergy and policymakers- listen to youth more and trust them to make informed decisions about their sexual health."

The project's youth panel called for ongoing conversations rather than one-time events to communicate accurate and timely information. This exchange about sexual-health isseus needs to come from multiple sources. The youth panel also asked for confidential counseling that would enhance self-esteem and respect for the choices of others.

The project's advisory panel of experts in public health, economics, behavioral science, medicine, and communication recommended evidence-based solutions, namely those with demonstrated effectiveness in reducing the risk of STDs in youth. These solutions include communicating openly, teaching about options, reducing exposure to infections, screening for STDs, and using available diagnostic tests, treatments and vaccines.

The Our Voices, Our Lives, Our Futures: Youth and STDs project is funded by William T. Grant Foundation. The purpose of the project is to provide clarity and consensus about the scope and impact of STDs in U.S. adolescents and young adults ages 15-24.

School of Journalism and Mass Communication, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.