Aspire Research Notes

Tracking the Hidden Epidemics:

Trends in STDs in the United States

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In the United States, more than 65 million people are currently living with an incurable sexually transmitted disease (STD). An additional 15 million people become infected with one or more STDs each year, roughly half of whom contract lifelong infections (Cates, 1999).Yet, STDs are one of the most under-recognized health problems in the country today. Despite the fact that STDs are extremely widespread, have severe and sometimes deadly consequences, and add billions of dollars to the nation’s healthcare costs each year, most people in the United States remain unaware of the risks and consequences of all but the most prominent STD —the human immunodeficiency virus or HIV.

While extremely common, STDs are difficult to track. Many people with these infections do not have symptoms and remain undiagnosed. Even diseases that are diagnosed are frequently not reported and counted. These “hidden” epidemics are magnified with each new infection that goes unrecognized and untreated.

This document presents the latest available data on the status of the std epidemics in the United States. By combining data on reported cases of disease with various studies of the level of infection in specific populations, researchers can compile a more complete picture of the magnitude of these diseases.

Download the Complete Report (PDF)