Community Health Forum: Sexually Transmitted Diseases

It is estimated that up to 19 million new cases of STDs are recorded each year in the U.S. This therefore emerges as a significant health challenge with cost of STDs to the health care system standing at approximately $17 billion per year (CDC, 2011). At the individual level, the cost is felt at an immediate point as well as a life-long impact. In their efforts to control the spread of STDs, public health agencies come across challenges related to funding, attitudes as well as awareness among other new challenges.

The society is somewhat under tension in dealing with the thin line between morality and rationalism. Many times it becomes hard to handle privacy parallel with social responsibility as regards sexual behaviors. These attitudes work against prevention efforts yet prompt prevention of infection through behavior change could go a long way in controlling spread of STDs. In regard to attitudes and behaviors, it has been shown that up to 70% of twelve-graders have been involved in sexual intimacy, with 27% percent of these having at least four partners.

The public is also less aware of the operation of sexual networks and how such knowledge can be applicable in preventing spread of STDs infection. This awareness has cost implications for public health agencies and these have complicated the control of the spread of STDs. There is a great gap in knowledge and awareness about STDs among the public. It has been estimated that the knowledge of other STDs apart from AIDS among women aged 18-60 years is very little. In fact only about one-third of these women can be termed as being sufficiently aware about STDs (Eng & Butler, 1997).

As far as funding the control of STDs initiative, there has been a general neglect of STDs other than HIV thus derailing control efforts. This is despite the knowledge that STDs involve a wide network of sexual partners, thus their spread can be very fast (Low et al., n.d.).

References

CDC. (2011). STD Trends in the United States: 2010 National Data for Gonorrhea, Chlamydia, and Syphilis. 2010 Sexually Transmitted Diseases Surveillance. Retrieved 15 December 2011 from http://www.cdc.gov/std/stats10/trends.htm

Eng, T. R. & Butler, W. (eds). (1997). The hidden epidemic: confronting sexually transmitted diseases. Washington, D.C.: National Academy Press.

Low, N., Broutet, N., Adu-Sarkodie, Y., Barton, P., Hossain, M. & Hawkes, S. (n.d.). Global control of sexually transmitted infections. Sexual and Reproductive Health: World Health Organization.