ShareCompartir
Announcements: STD Awareness Month—April 2015
April is STD Awareness Month, an annual observance that focuses on ways to prevent some of the nearly 20 million new cases of STDs occurring in the United States each year (1). CDC's STD prevention program emphasizes the most effective tools to protect one's health and prevent the spread of all STDs, including HIV: 1) learn the facts about STDs; 2) make lifestyle changes that reduce risk; 3) get regular STD testing, as needed, and 4) seek prompt treatment.
STDs affect persons of all ages, but particularly the young. CDC estimates that half of all new infections are among people aged 15–24 (1). STD tests aren't always part of a regular doctor's visit, and many doctors may not offer young patients an HIV or STD test unless the patient asks for one. Patients who get tested for STDs and are aware of their STD status can better protect their own health and the health of their sexual partner(s). If not treated, some STDs can lead to serious health problems. Learning resources for clinicians, patients, and community members about STDs are available from CDC at http://www.cdc.gov/std/sam.
Reference
- Satterwhite CL, Torrone E, Meites E, et al. Sexually transmitted infections among US women and men: prevalence and incidence estimates, 2008. Sex Transm Dis 2013;40:187–93.
Use of trade names and commercial sources is for identification only and does not imply endorsement by the U.S. Department of
Health and Human Services.
References to non-CDC sites on the Internet are
provided as a service to MMWR readers and do not constitute or imply
endorsement of these organizations or their programs by CDC or the U.S.
Department of Health and Human Services. CDC is not responsible for the content
of pages found at these sites. URL addresses listed in MMWR were current as of
the date of publication.
All MMWR HTML versions of articles are electronic conversions from typeset documents.
This conversion might result in character translation or format errors in the HTML version.
Users are referred to the electronic PDF version (http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr)
and/or the original MMWR paper copy for printable versions of official text, figures, and tables.
An original paper copy of this issue can be obtained from the Superintendent of Documents, U.S.
Government Printing Office (GPO), Washington, DC 20402-9371;
telephone: (202) 512-1800. Contact GPO for current prices.
**Questions or messages regarding errors in formatting should be addressed to
mmwrq@cdc.gov.
