According to the Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta, 19.7 new venereal disease cases were diagnosed in 2008, bringing the total cases of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) to 110,197,000. What that means is sexually promiscuous Americans are taking more risks and practicing less safe sex than at any time in U.S history.
The most common STI is the human papillomavirus (HPV), responsible for 14 million new STI cases in 2008, according to the CDC study.
From CNS News:
After HPV, in order of magnitude, according to the study, new STIs in the U.S. in 2008 included 2,860,000 new Chlamydia infections; 1,090,000 new Trichomoniasis infections; 820,000 new Gonorrhea infections; 776,000 new Herpes Simplex Virus Type 2 (HSV-2) infections; 55,400 new syphilis infections; 41,400 new HIV infections; and 19,000 new Hepatitis B infections.
The STI study referenced by the CDC estimated that 50 percent of the new infections in 2008 occurred among people in the 15-to-24 age bracket. In fact, of the 19,738,800 total new STIs in the United States in 2008, 9,782,650 were among Americans in the 15-to-24 age bracket.
The CDC said the new venereal infections contracted each year cost the nation about $16 billion.
“CDC’s new estimates show that there are about 20 million new infections in the United States each year, costing the American healthcare system nearly $16 billion in direct medical costs alone,” said a CDC fact sheet.
