By Emily Webster
A Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study released Tuesday estimates that one in four young women between the ages of 14 and 19 in the United States is infected with at least one sexually transmitted disease.
Nearly half (48 percent) of teenage African-American girls were infected compared to 20 percent of white teenagers. Overall the study translates this to an estimated 3.2 million girls 14 to 19 with an STD in the United States, although actual cases may be higher since some STDs such as gonorrhea and syphilis were not included in the study.
Dr. Sara Forhan led the CDC study and, with her team, analyzed data on 838 female teenagers who participated in the 2003-2004 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.
Among the 838 participants, 404 reported ever having sex. Of those girls, 39.5% had an STD.
In Utah, chlamydia is the No. 1 reported communicable disease according to the Utah Department of Health.
Utah County Public Information Officer Lance Madigan said he thinks national numbers are higher than they are here.
'I think those numbers are indicative of the country, but Utah County is nowhere near that number,' Madigan said. 'In any case, we would strongly suggest if people are sexually active and concerned, they should come in and get tested.'
From 2002 to 2007, chlamydia cases in Utah have increased by 62 percent and gonorrhea cases increased by 117 percent. Females accounted for 68 percent of reported chlamydia cases and 42 percent of gonorrhea cases.
BYU student Bracken Abrams, 23, from Idaho Falls, said the study isn''t too shocking.
'You know the world is going downhill so 25 percent isn''t that surprising,' Abrams said. 'It''s sad. It shows that women don''t see themselves as God does.'
Following the presentation of the national study at the 2008 National STD Prevention conference in Chicago, presentations were given regarding the need for more STD screenings so those infected can get help.
'Given that the health effects of STDs for women - from infertility to cervical cancer - are particularly severe, STD screening, vaccination and other prevention strategies for sexually active women are among our highest public health priorities,' said Kevin Fenton, M.D., director of the CDC''s National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD and TB Prevention in a news release.
The most common STDs in the study were human papillomavirus, or HPV (18 percent) and chlamydia (4 percent). These diseases as well as herpes simplex virus and trichomoniasis were considered in the study.