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The Wright Perspective℠
Social Commentary from the C-Suite to Main Street℠
A Blog by Gary Wright II
Study finds that 1 in 4 Teenage girls have STDs
Tuesday, March 11th, 2008
I was shocked to read a report from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) that found one in four girls aged 14 to 19 in America tested positive for sexually transmitted diseases (STDs).
The most common STDs were:
18% had Human papillomavirus (HPV) which can lead to cervical cancer
4% had Chlamydia
2.5% had Trichomoniasis
2% had Herpes Simplex Virus
They found around 50% of African-American girls had at least one STD, while the rate of infection of Caucasians was around 20%. Many of the girls had more than one type of STD. AIDS - HIV was not part of the study.
This study worries me for several reasons. Despite the obvious health concerns, there is the issue of teenage pregnancy. We have babies who are having babies. This high rate of infection also means that the girls are having unprotected sex.
The study only looked at girls, but this evidence means that many of the boys had to have also been infected by diseases.
We must have a serious talk with all of our young people - both boys and girls. First, they shouldn't even be having sex at such a young age. If they choose to have sex, we have to convey the importance of having "safe sex".
If you haven't had this talk with your kids - what are you waiting for???
-- Gary Wright II