SexuallyTransmittedDiseases-related stories
Life Fit Chat with Laura Lewis: One in 4 Teen Girls Has STD
Life Fit Chat with That's Fit Life Fit Expert Laura Lewis brings conversation provoking tidbits to your table, served up with a touch of spice! Byte-sized information that pack some punch, brought to you every Wednesday and Thursday!An astonishing one in four teenage girls nationwide has an STD. This equates to over three million teens in the United States that are suffering from a sexually transmitted disease. A virus known as human papillomavirus (HPV) is the most common sexually transmitted disease among teen girls between the ages of 14 to 19. This virus actually causes cervical cancer, which technically means that cervical cancer in of itself is a sexually transmitted disease. HPV, which can cause genital warts, can lie dormant in both men and women for up to ten year or more. Oftentimes, men and women both may show no signs of carrying the disease, which is one cause for its prevalence. A vaccine targeting several HPV strains recently became available, but has not been available long enough to have an impact on HPV prevalence rates in teen girls.
GARDASIL, the vaccine that can be administered to prevent certain types of HPV, is given as three injections over six months. Side affects include pain, swelling, itching, and redness at the injection site, fever, nausea, and dizziness. While this may seem like a wonder pill, it has been highly controversial. Many parents believe that by vaccinating their teenagers they are silently signing over their parental blessing for promiscuity, and therefore opt not to have their children vaccinated. What do you think? Is vaccination a silent permission for teen sex? And, well, what about the risks of the vaccination itself? What do you think?
California sets sex ed guidelines
California's State Board of Education has determined that students as young as fifth grade should learn about sexually transmitted diseases. The decision is timely, as recent reports have stated that as many as one in four teenage girls has an STD. But the decision wasn't rash, the Board of Education has held discussions regarding sex education standards for two years.The new standards will present important information and teach the skills necessary to practice safe sexual behavior. Abstinence will be included in the curriculum, but California state law prevents abstinence only sexual education. The sex ed classes will be integrated into existing health classes.
What do you think?
The UK's growing problem with teen sex practices
Although teenage sexual practices have never been very safe in any industrialized country, Britain is facing a major teen sex health crisis, according to an advisory group that focuses on HIV and sexual health.Higher levels of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and teenage pregnancy are increasingly "disturbing" according to the group, who added that alcohol and drugs play a major role in the behavioral deviancy increase when it comes to sexual practices in the UK.
Surprised? I'm not -- the marketing of teenage apparel and other products is laced with subliminally-suggestive messaging and promotes sex among youngsters. Couple that with trash in the media (like the television and music industries) and look what you've got -- the same thing. The only difference: this is real life.
