Teenage girls are becoming infected with sexually transmitted diseases (STD) at a high rate; there is a great need for STD screening and early treatment for young girls.

A CDC [Center for Disease Control] study released today [March 11, 2008] estimates that one in four (26 percent) young women between the ages of 14 and 19 in the United States - or 3.2 million teenage girls - is infected with at least one of the most common sexually transmitted diseases (human papillomavirus (HPV), chlamydia, herpes simplex virus, and trichomoniasis). Led by CDC's Sara Forhan, M.D., M.P.H., the study also finds that African-American teenage girls were most severely affected. Nearly half of the young African-American women (48 percent) were infected with an STD, compared to 20 percent of young white women. "High STD infection rates among young women, particularly young African-American women, are clear signs that we must continue developing ways to reach those most at risk," said John M. Douglas, Jr., M.D., director of CDC's Division of STD Prevention. "STD screening and early treatment can prevent some of the most devastating effects of untreated STDs." A study by CDC's Sherry L. Farr and colleagues found that while the majority of sexually active 15- to-24 year-old young women (82 percent) receive contraceptive or STD/HIV services, few receive both (39 percent).

MARCH 11, 2008, Nationally Representative CDC Study Finds 1 in 4 Teenage Girls Has a Sexually Transmitted Disease, Press Release: Center for Disease Control, National Center for HIV/AIDS, Presentation Viral Hepatitis, STD and TB Prevention, http://www.cdc.gov/stdconference/2008/media/release-11march2008.pdf. [posted 3/19/2008]