Sexual/Reproductive Health Healthy People 2020 Overview: “An estimated 19 million new cases of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) are diagnosed each year in the United States—almost half of them among young people age 15 to 24. An estimated 1.1 million Americans are living with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), and 1 out of 5 people with HIV do not know they have it. Untreated STDs can lead to serious long-term health consequences, especially for adolescent girls and young women, including reproductive health problems and infertility, fetal and perinatal health problems, cancer and further sexual transmission of HIV.” Why this is important: Chlamydia, the most frequently reported bacterial sexually transmitted disease (STD) in the United States, is caused by the bacterium, Chlamydia trachomatis. Although symptoms of chlamydia are usually mild or absent, serious complications that cause irreversible damage, including infertility, can occur "silently" before a woman ever recognizes a problem. Chlamydia also can cause discharge from the penis of an infected man. Under-reporting of chlamydia is substantial because most people with chlamydia are not aware of their infections and do not seek testing. Source: Georgia Dept. of Public Health OASIS
Why this is important: AIDS cases provide a valuable measure of the impact of the disease in various areas and populations. In the mid-to-late 1990s, advances in HIV treatments led to dramatic declines in AIDS deaths and slowed the progression from HIV infection to AIDS. Better treatments have also led to an increase in the number of persons who are living with AIDS.
Source: Georgia Statistics System
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