...threaten their ability serve those in need. Such challenges include keeping pace with increasing STD caseloads, affording state-of-the-art technologies, integrating family planning and HIV services, and expanding services to include men.

Sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) are major public health problem in the United States. According to estimates by the American Social Health Association (ASHA), there are approximately 15 million new STD cases in this country each year (see table).

Many STDs--namely bacterial infections, such as chlamydia, gonorrhea and syphilis--are treatable and curable; however, countless Americans live with the long-lasting health consequences that occur when these diseases go untreated. Additionally, as many as 65 million Americans are currently living with viral STDs, including genital herpes, human papillomavirus (HPV) and HIV. These diseases cannot be cured but often can be managed over time and thus present unique treatment challenges. Furthermore, individuals living with chronic viral STDs or with untreated bacterial infections can transmit them to their sexual partners even when they are asymptomatic or unaware that they are infected.

Role of Family Planning Providers

STDs disproportionately affect women, racial and ethnic minorities, and teenagers--population groups that tend to rely heavily on family planning clinics for their reproductive health care. Women are not only biologically more susceptible than men to some STDs but also may suffer more serious consequences. Because STDs are less likely to produce symptoms in women, those who have been infected are more likely to go undiagnosed until only after they have developed serious health problems, such as cervical cancer or pelvic inflammatory disease (which in turn can cause chronic pain, infertility and ectopic pregnancy). Additionally, STDs in pregnant women can result in miscarriage, low birth weight and congenital and neonatal infections.

Some STDs are more common among minority groups. For example, gonorrhea and syphilis rates are as much as 30 times higher among blacks than among whites. Blacks account for more than half (54%) of all new HIV cases in the United States, although they make up only 13% of the U.S. population; Hispanics constitute 19% of new HIV cases, but only 12% of the population.

STD rates among teens are also particularly high. According to ASHA estimates, roughly four million teenagers acquire an STD annually, and about a quarter of all new cases of STDs each year occur among teens. By age 24, at...

NOTE: All illustrations and photos have been removed from this article.



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