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One in four teenage girls has STD, study finds

Infection Control Monitor, March 14, 2008

CDC officials called for more screening, vaccination, and other prevention measures following the release March 11 of a study that shows at least one in four teenage girls has a sexually transmitted disease (STD).
In the first national study of four common STDs among girls and young women, researchers found that one in four, or an estimated 3.2 million teens, are infected with at least one of the diseases, the CDC said in a press release. Among those infected, 15 percent had more than one of the diseases.

The study, released by the CDC, looked at infections of human papillomavirus (HPV), chlamydia, herpes simplex virus, and trichomoniasis. Infection rates were even higher among African-American teens, with nearly half of the young women ages 14 to 19 infected with one of the STDs. HPV, a virus that can cause cervical cancer, is the most common STD.

The study was released at the CDC's 2008 National STD Prevention Conference in Chicago. To read more, click here.

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