stands for Sexually Transmitted Disease.
They were named after Venus, the ancient goddess of love, however, there is.
nothing lovely about them. Sexually transmitted diseases have been around for a long.
time. There were references to gonorrhea in the Old Testament and descriptions of.
syphilis at the time of Columbus. Sexually transmitted diseases cross all boundaries. .
They are not restricted to people of one sexual orientation, one race, one cultural group.
or one socioeconomic class. .
When most people think about infectious diseases, they think about their last cold.
or the flu that has been going around at school or work. The government cannot keep.
track of all those diseases, but it does keep track of what it considers the most dangerous.
infectious diseases. Reports come from health departments all over the country and.
government workers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention count all the cases.
of each disease.
When you look at the most frequently reported infectious diseases in the United.
States, 87 percent are sexually transmitted diseases. There are 12 million new cases.
each year. STDs are clearly a big problem in society reaching widespread proportions in.
the United States, particularly among the teenage and young adult population. .
Researchers who study the problem of STDs call sexually transmitted diseases America's.
"hidden epidemic".
Although the best-known STDs, syphilis and gonorrhea, are decreasing in.
frequency, the overall incidence of STDs continues to increase, with no evidence to.
suggest a decline. Changes in social and sexual behavior have had an impact on the.
number of people infected. Some of these include early age of sexual activity, the.
number of sexual partners, and the acceptance of forms of sexual contact other than.
intercourse. .
Where do infections come from? Most STDs originate from either bacteria or.
viruses. Bacteria are one-celled microorganisms that can be seen under an.