Despite the preventive medical efforts to fight sexually transmitted diseases, reports are coming in that STDs are at an all-time high. In the US alone, one in every four people has had an STD before, which means that about 110 million Americans carry an STD that they can potentially pass to others.
Most of us don’t talk much about STDs such as chlamydia, gonorrhea, or syphilis because we think they’re not of a major concern now as they were before. But as it turns out, more and more people are quietly suffering from STDs.
Reasons Why STDs Are on the Rise
It’s shocking that STDs, which were nearly eliminated a decade ago, have managed to infect millions of people around the world quietly. The number of STD cases over the years in the US alone is so alarming. Take a look at the following important facts.
● Gonorrhea has increased by more than 18 percent in the US with 468,514 cases reported.
● Syphilis cases has risen by 17.6 percent overall with 27,814 reported.
● Congenital syphilis (syphilis passed from mother to infant) has increased by 27.6 percent with 628 reported cases.
● Chlamydia, the most common STD, has increased by 4.7 percent with an all-time high 2 million reported cases.
This is certainly a major issue since STDs were on the brink of elimination just a decade ago, and now fast forward to 2018, the rates are at an all-time high. This brings us to the question, just how did STDs manage to spread this easily? Here are a few reasons, according to experts, that caused the number of STD cases to increase at an all-time high.
Have you ever wondered why there is such a strong stigma surrounding STD testing, especially when you consider the fact that most STDs are curable? The truth is, STD testing isn’t actually all that frightening; it’s what responsible folks should do. We comprehend how terrifying it must be to hear about these conditions; and how worried you must be, but do not worry std testing in Singapore anonymous helps to treat with this problem.
- Sex education is lacking.
Everybody knows that sex education in the US and other parts of the world is poor. In a report made by CDC, half of the 20 million STD cases each year are young people with ages 15-24.
- Safe sex is no longer promoted as much as it was before.
Safe sex was strongly promoted across multiple media outlets all over the world back in the 1990s to help raise awareness of STDs.
● Safe sex has been depicted in movies, TV shows, songs, albums, books, etc. to tell the public to practice safe sex no matter what.
● Today, however, safe sex is no longer promoted as much as it was before. Add that to the social stigma floating around safe sex; there’s no wonder why STD cases have increased.
- Sex stigma has increased.
The lack of proper sex addiction combined with the social stigma surrounding sex, it’s no wonder why STDs are affecting millions of young people all over the world. It’s hard to gain information about sex and how to prevent STDs when other people are thinking differently about you.
- Medical advancements make STDs less of a big a deal.
Since the public knows that there are now various treatments available for STDs, they just don’t make it a big issue anymore if they get infected.
● It’s great to know that there are various treatments available for STD, but it is also because of these treatments that most of the public don’t really care much about STDs anymore.
● Most people think that they just have to go to a local drugstore, buy the pill, pop it and their STD will go away. Neglecting the complications of STDs can bring damaging effects to your health. This is why you must be very cautious in preventing STDs.
- Rise of unprotected sex.
The public is always encouraged to practice safe sex no matter what. This includes not just the sexually active people but every single one of us. Having sex with a partner puts you at risk, which is why you must always bring protection with you to avoid getting infected.
● Not using any protection such as condoms, dental dams (for oral sex), and spermicidal lubricants especially if you’re sexually active or having sex with multiple partners, you have a big chance of contracting STDs.
● Aside from putting you more at risk, 80% of the adult population are likely to contract one type of STD at some point in their life, which is why you must always wear protection every time you have sex. Unless of course if you’re trying to conceive a baby with your partner.
The alarming rate at which STD cases have risen over the last couple of years have caused governments to make more preventive actions against these venereal diseases. The worst thing about it is that most of these people don’t realize that they have an STD. This is why sexually active people are encouraged to undergo private STD testing with a at home STD test, to find out if they have STD or not, and so they can find treatment for it. Be sure to get tested regularly, sexually active or not.
Author Bio: Angela Hall is a health enthusiast who specialises in spreading STD education across the country. She enjoys what she does and loves to travel to different areas. She loves to write for websites and is a family girl at heart.