Spring Break
One in four teenage girls has an STD
Issue date: 3/13/08
Do you know four female freshmen? Chances are that one of them has a sexually transmitted infection.
A recent study conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that 26 percent of teenage girls, or 3.2 million in the United States, have at least one sexually transmitted infection, or STI.
According to Alain Joffe, director of the Student Health and Wellness Center at Hopkins, human papillomavirus (HPV) is the most commonly seen STI at Hopkins. Herpes and chlamydia are also frequently seen at the center.
The pattern at Hopkins mirrors the national trends identified in the CDC study. The most common STIs among teenagers include HPV, chlamydia, herpes and trichomoniasis, a parastitic infection.
The study found that, of those with an STI, 15 percent have more than one of these diseases.
The overall rate of STIs could be even greater than what was described, since diseases such as gonorrhea, HIV and syphilis were not tested for.
However, the difference would likely not be significant, since there is a low prevalence of these infections in girls 14 to 19 years of age.
Approximately half of all subjects reported having had sex at least once, and among this group 40 percent had at least one STI.
The Student Health and Wellness center offers comprehensive and confidential services for screening and treatment of STIs. Most of the diagnostic services are available to students free of charge.
HPV was the most commonly found infection in the national study. The virus is found in dozens of different forms, but its effects can be grouped into two different categories: The first is associated with genital warts, and the second is known to cause cervical cancer.
Although most HPV infections clear up without any treatment, some continue to persist, putting women at risk for cancer.
Gardasil, the new vaccine that protects against certain types of HPV, has been recommended by the National Cancer Institute for teenage girls and is predicted to significantly reduce the incidence of infection leading to cervical cancer and genital warts.
A recent study conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that 26 percent of teenage girls, or 3.2 million in the United States, have at least one sexually transmitted infection, or STI.
According to Alain Joffe, director of the Student Health and Wellness Center at Hopkins, human papillomavirus (HPV) is the most commonly seen STI at Hopkins. Herpes and chlamydia are also frequently seen at the center.
The pattern at Hopkins mirrors the national trends identified in the CDC study. The most common STIs among teenagers include HPV, chlamydia, herpes and trichomoniasis, a parastitic infection.
The study found that, of those with an STI, 15 percent have more than one of these diseases.
The overall rate of STIs could be even greater than what was described, since diseases such as gonorrhea, HIV and syphilis were not tested for.
However, the difference would likely not be significant, since there is a low prevalence of these infections in girls 14 to 19 years of age.
Approximately half of all subjects reported having had sex at least once, and among this group 40 percent had at least one STI.
The Student Health and Wellness center offers comprehensive and confidential services for screening and treatment of STIs. Most of the diagnostic services are available to students free of charge.
HPV was the most commonly found infection in the national study. The virus is found in dozens of different forms, but its effects can be grouped into two different categories: The first is associated with genital warts, and the second is known to cause cervical cancer.
Although most HPV infections clear up without any treatment, some continue to persist, putting women at risk for cancer.
Gardasil, the new vaccine that protects against certain types of HPV, has been recommended by the National Cancer Institute for teenage girls and is predicted to significantly reduce the incidence of infection leading to cervical cancer and genital warts.
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