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HIV/AIDS and Sexual Transmitted Diseases (STDs)
HIV/AIDS
Each year, half of all new HIV infections are among people under the age of 25. A majority of new cases among teens reported in 2002 were African American teens, and in the same year, teen girls represented half of all HIV cases in youth 25 and under. [1] In Massachusetts, the proportion of people diagnosed with HIV who are adolescents (ages 13-24) is lower than observed on the national level (8% and 13%, respectively). However, in some communities, the proportion of adolescents among recent HIV diagnoses is two or three times the state rate.[2]
Sexually Transmitted Diseases
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimate that there are 19 million new cases of STDs every year, almost half of them among young people. Chlamydia rates in the United States continue to rise, from 51 per 100,000 people in 1987 to 319 per 100,000 people in 2004. The highest Chlamydia rates occurred among women ages 15 to 19 and 20 to 24 (2,761 and 2,630 per 100,000 women, respectively). Teen girls ages 15 to 19 have the highest Gonorrhea rate of any age group[3].
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Selected STD Rates Among Teens in the United States and Massachusetts, 2004
(rates are per 100,000 teens ages 15-19)2,[4]
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Chlamydia |
Syphilis |
Gonorrhea |
| United States |
1,621 |
1.5 |
438 |
| Massachusetts |
1,077 |
2.2 |
162 |
HPV
Genital human papillomavirus (HPV), which can cause genital warts and cervical cancer, is the most common STD in the United States and probably the most common STD among youth. While there is no Massachusetts-specific data on HPV prevalence among youth, in a recent national study, 24.5% of teen women ages 14-19 and 44.8% of women ages 20-24 had HPV.[5]
For more information about HIV, AIDS, and STDs, check out:
CDC National Overview of Sexually Transmitted Diseases
HPV Facts
Massachusetts HIV/AIDS Bureau
Preventing STIs/STDs – Planned Parenthood
The Facts: Adolescents—At Risk for Sexually Transmitted Infections
The Facts: Adolescents and HIV/AIDS
Kaiser Family Foundation
[1] Kaiser Family Foundation. (2005, January). U.S. teen sexual activity. Menlo Park, CA: Author.
[2] Massachusetts Department of Public Health. (2006, March). Massachusetts HIV/AIDS data fact sheet: Adolescents and young adults. Boston: Author.
[3] Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2005, September). Sexually transmitted disease surveillance, 2004. Atlanta: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
[4] Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2005). HIV/AIDS surveillance report, 2004 (Vol. 16). Atlanta: US Department of Health and Human Services
[5] Dunne, E.F., et al. Prevalence of HPV infection among females in the United States. Journal of the American Medical Association. 2007 Feb 28; 297:813-9.
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Massachusetts Alliance on Teen Pregnancy
105 Chauncy Street, 8th Floor, Boston, MA 02111
617.482.9122 Main, 617.482.9129 Fax
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