The Associated Press reports on a Center for Disease Control study found that one in four teen girls have at least one STD. Human papillomaviruses, the virus that can cause cervical cancer, was found to be the most prevalent STD. Nearly half of the black teenagers studied had at least one STD.
A virus that causes cervical cancer is by far the most common sexually transmitted infection in teen girls aged 14 to 19, while the highest overall prevalence is among black girls - nearly half the blacks studied had at least one STD. That rate compared with 20 percent among both whites and Mexican-American teens, the study from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found.
About half of the girls acknowledged ever having sex; among them, the rate was 40 percent. While some teens define sex as only intercourse, other types of intimate behavior including oral sex can spread some infections.
Something is not working in American sex education. My bet is on abstinence-only programs.
This is the first of many posts on behave of a coalition based at Kent State University in Ohio. The coalition is lead by a student Health Education Honorary, Eta Sigma Gamma, of which I am President. Eta Sigma Gamma is dedicated to providing both the campus and community with free quality Health Education. We are ever mindful of the increasing politicization of public health, therefore, are deeply involved in advocacy. Our campus coalition advocates for Reproductive Rights, specifically Comprehensive Sexuality Education and equal access to the HPV Vaccine.
In the first semester of our academic year we established a coalition of seven student groups, two university departments, one local community agency, and gained support from three national organizations. Tactics including federal and in-district lobbying visits, letter and email writing, petition gathering, and using media lead to two new co-sponsors for the Responsible Education About Life (REAL) Act, which would provide federal funding for Comprehensive Sexuality Education.
We continue to work toward the passage of the REAL Act, but we now recognize the importance of change here at Kent State University and here in Ohio. For this reason we are advocating for the HPV vaccine to be covered by Kent State Student Health Insurance and for the HPV vaccine to become a state mandate.
As progress is made I will continue to update the blog, please provide thoughts, ideas, and feedback.
More good news about the HPV vaccine! If you weren't already convinced it's awesome, Merck announced this week that Gardasil prevents even more strains of HPV:
The new data found that Gardasil reduced by nearly two-thirds the incidence of precancerous lesions caused by HPV for three of the most common HPV strains found in North America after strains 16 and 18. The three strains cause about 11% of cervical cancers worldwide. According to the AP/Daily News, the finding means that Gardasil provides at least partial protection to 90% of HPV strains that cause cervical cancer.
Oh wait--it's not actually oral sex itself that gives you cancer. Some strains of sexually transmitted HPV can lead to oral cancers, just as some lead to cervical cancer. The Post reports that
How people get infected hasn't been proven, but experts suspect oral sex may be the cause.
If that's the case, then the introduction of the cervical cancer vaccine for girls and women, which covers the common strains of HPV, may also help reduce the incidence of some head and neck cancers.
Just another reason to promote the HPV vaccine. And to read the Post's articles instead of trusting its headlines.
On Friday, the governor of Texas issued an executive order requiring all girls entering sixth grade recieve the vaccination for the sexual transmitted disease, HPV (Crib Sheet on HPV) beginning in September 2008. 70% of cervical cancer is a result of HPV.
The cost for this vaccine runs about $360 and is covered by most insurance companies. A Texas vaccination program will cover the cost for the uninsured. Sounds perfect, huh?
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