How long have STDs been around?
Before 1980 the most common STDs were syphilis and gonorrhea. Since 1980 there are at least 25 new STDs that have been identified, including HIV/AIDS. Source: Eng TR, Butler WT, eds. The Hidden Epidemic – Confronting Sexually Transmitted Disease. Institute of Medicine. Washington, DC: National Academy Press; 1997. Is there really that big of a risk for me to get an STD? STDs accounted for 87 percent of all cases among the top ten most frequently reported infections in the U.S. during 1997. Five of the top 10 reportable infectious disease in 1997 were either exclusively or largely transmitted during sex, including the top four (Chlamydia, gonorrhea, AIDS and syphilis). Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Summary of Notifiable Disease, US 1998. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 1999;47(53):1-93. How many people are infected with an STD? In the United States it is estimated that there are more than 68 million current STDs. Each year, 15.3 million new STD infections occur, includi
