• March 30, 2009 - Avert
Avert is a website designed to help stop the spread of HIV and AIDS, and focuses on educating young people about the realities and risks of this, and other STDs. The Website is very accessible and offers a great introduction to the issues. Check it out!

What are STDs?

STD stands for Sexually Transmitted Disease (sometimes called Sexually Transmitted Infection). This is an infection which can be caught by having sexual contact with someone who is infected. This can be vaginal, oral or anal sex, although other types of touching can pass some STDs - for example, some STDs (such as Herpes and HPV) can be caught by touching the infected areas of someone's body and then touching your own genitals (private parts). There are quite a lot of different STDs. We have more information about the different STDs and HIV and AIDS.

Aren't STDs only a problem for older people who sleep around?

No. In fact, some STDs like chlamydia and gonorrhea are actually more common among teens than among older men and women. And you don't have to sleep around to get an STD, although it can increase your chances of having sex with someone with an STD.

• March 24, 2009 - Nemours Foundation
A good resource for learning more about Teen Health and STDs can be found at the Teenshealth website.

Here is a brief introduction:

Sexually transmitted diseases (also known as STDs and once called venereal diseases or VD) are infectious diseases that spread from person to person through intimate contact. STDs can affect guys and girls of all ages and backgrounds who are having sex — it doesn't matter if they're rich or poor.

Unfortunately, STDs have become common among teens. Because teens are more at risk for getting some STDs, it's important to learn what you can do to protect yourself.

STDs are more than just an embarrassment. They're a serious health problem. If untreated, some STDs can cause permanent damage, such as infertility (the inability to have a baby) and even death (in the case of HIV/AIDS).

• March 18, 2009 - Washington Post
At least 3 percent of District residents have HIV or AIDS, a total that far surpasses the 1 percent threshold that constitutes a "generalized and severe" epidemic, according to a report scheduled to be released by health officials tomorrow.

That translates into 2,984 residents per every 100,000 over the age of 12 -- or 15,120 -- according to the 2008 epidemiology report by the District's HIV/AIDS office.
"Our rates are higher than West Africa," said Shannon L. Hader, director of the District's HIV/AIDS Administration, who once led the Federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's work in Zimbabwe. "They're on par with Uganda and some parts of Kenya."
"We have every mode of transmission" -- men having sex with men, heterosexual and injected drug use -- "going up, all on the rise, and we have to deal with them," Hader said.
Among its findings: Almost half of those who had connections to the parts of the city with the highest AIDS prevalence and poverty rates said they had overlapping sexual partners within the past 12 months, three in five said they were aware of their own HIV status, and three in 10 said they had used a condom the last time they had sex.
Together, the reports offer a sobering assessment in a city that for years has stumbled in combating HIV and AIDS and is just beginning to regain its footing.

• July 14, 2006 - Washington Post
March 15 2009
HIV/AIDS Rate in D.C. Hits 3%

At least 3 percent of District residents have HIV or AIDS, a total that far surpasses the 1 percent threshold that constitutes a "generalized and severe" epidemic, according to a report scheduled to be released by health officials tomorrow.

That translates into 2,984 residents per every 100,000 over the age of 12 -- or 15,120 -- according to the 2008 epidemiology report by the District's HIV/AIDS office.
"Our rates are higher than West Africa," said Shannon L. Hader, director of the District's HIV/AIDS Administration, who once led the Federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's work in Zimbabwe. "They're on par with Uganda and some parts of Kenya."
"We have every mode of transmission" -- men having sex with men, heterosexual and injected drug use -- "going up, all on the rise, and we have to deal with them," Hader said.
Among its findings: Almost half of those who had connections to the parts of the city with the highest AIDS prevalence and poverty rates said they had overlapping sexual partners within the past 12 months, three in five said they were aware of their own HIV status, and three in 10 said they had used a condom the last time they had sex.
Together, the reports offer a sobering assessment in a city that for years has stumbled in combating HIV and AIDS and is just beginning to regain its footing.

• December 14, 2004 - www.kff.org
World AIDS Day: Survey Data & Fact Sheets
This year, the theme of World AIDS Day is women, girls, and HIV/AIDS and how gender inequity fuels the AIDS epidemic. To help illustrate the increasing toll HIV/AIDS is taking on women, Kaiser updated its fact sheets on "Women and HIV/AIDS in the U.S." and "The HIV/AIDS Epidemic in the United States." They provide an overview and key trends, impact on specific groups, such as minorities, women, youth, and men who have sex with men, and the U.S. government response.

• December 14, 2004 - www.kff.org
KNOW HIV/AIDS Teams up with Hip-Hop Sensation Common to Promote HIV Testing
Viacom Inc. and the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation today announced the launch of a new set of public service advertisements (PSAs) featuring hip-hop artist Common, promoting testing as part of their Emmy and Peabody Award-winning KNOW HIV/AIDS public education initiative.

• November 29, 2004 - www.prnewswire.com
Nick News Talks With Kids Living With AIDS in a Special to Air on World AIDS Day
More than 14,000 kids in the United States are infected with the HIV virus, and more than 90 percent of the kids infected were born with the disease. For a kid growing up with HIV, the normal hassles of adolescence pale in comparison to the never-ending battle to stay alive. In Nick News Special Edition: "Living With AIDS: A Story of Three Kids", award-winning journalist Linda Ellerbee follows three kids living with AIDS -- Holly, Jordyn, and Ricky -- and listens as they tell the stories of their lives. The special airs on World AIDS Day, December 1, 2004, only on Nickelodeon.

• November 23, 2004 - www.reuters.com
FACTBOX-Key Facts and Figures About HIV/AIDS
A report from UNAIDS, the Joint United Nations Program on HIV/AIDS, released on Tuesday, shows the number of adults and children living with HIV reached 39.4 million in 2004. Click on the link above for some key facts and figures about the disease.

• November 15, 2004 - www.teenpregnancy.org
The National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy, in collaboration with Child Trends, recently released Not Yet: Programs to Delay First Sex Among Teens.(pdf)
The report, which was written by researchers in Child Trends' Fertility and Family Structure research unit, provides detailed descriptions of evaluated prevention programs that have been shown, through careful research, to delay teens' sexual initiation. Descriptions include the curricula, costs, and evaluation results of these programs, along with contact information. Click
on the report title to download a PDF version of the report.

• April 30, 2004 - www.kaisernetwork.org
Lives of Adolescents Worldwide 'Transformed' by HIV/AIDS Epidemic
Although young people between the ages of 15 and 24 are better educated and have greater access to information than ever before, HIV/AIDS has taken a "heavy toll" on and "transformed the lives" of the vast majority of the world's 1.1 billion young people, according to the U.N. "World Youth Report 2003" released on Tuesday, the Associated Press reports.

• April 19, 2004 - http://www.aegis.org
Americans Fail to Protect Against STDs, Study Finds Americans may say they know a lot about sexually transmitted diseases but they do not practice what they preach when it comes to defending against them, according to a survey published on Tuesday.

• April 01, 2004 - www.kidshealth.org
What Is Hepatitis?
Hepatitis, an infectious liver disease, is more contagious than HIV, and just like HIV, there is no cure. Find out how to protect yourself in this article for teens.

• July 02, 2003 - The New York Times
As gay acceptance increases, the number of openly gay marriages with children has reflected that rise. Extensive psychological studies on children of homosexual parents have demonstrated similar levels of mental and sexual well-being as their heterosexual counterparts. Moreover, the percentage of gay children from gay parents is comparatively equal to those raised in heterosexual families. [*To read the full New York Times article, please register a free account here]

• May 20, 2003 - The New York times
According to a report released by the National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy, 20% of adolescents have sex before age fifteen. Within that demographic, the occurrences of smoking, drinking, and drug use is substantially higher than among virgins. [*To read the full New York Times article, please register a free account here]

• May 02, 2003 - MTV
"What are the different expectations for guys and girls? A survey by seventeen magazine and the Kaiser Family Foundation of more than 500 young people nation-wide shows that more than a third say there is a "double standard" for boys and girls today, when it comes to being sexually active. Even more (four in five) agree that parents have different expectations from their daughters and their sons. How far have we really come?" To read the full-length article, click here.

• April 15, 2003 - The Advocate
Viacom is considering expanding its HIV/AIDS awareness program overseas. Viacom have set up a website at www.knowhivaids.org for this initiative, and are linking popular television shows with the program.

• February 06, 2003 - KaiserNetwork.org
A new report from the Kaiser Family Foundation shows that although more television shows are including sexual content, such programs are also including more mentions of "safer sex," abstinence and possible consequences of intercourse. Read the actual report here.

• December 16, 2002 - USA Today
Internet filtering software can block kids from seeing nearly 90% of online pornography. But a new study shows that trying to block more results in less blocked pornography and more blocked health sites.

• December 10, 2002 - USA Today
Five films about teen sexuality showcased in a national contest by kids and about kids.

• December 06, 2002 - Seattle Post-Intelligencer
An Eastside teenager warns the nation of the risks of AIDS in a televised appearance on MTV.

• October 29, 2002 - Portland Press Herald
Four Maine health insurance companies and 24 schools create a partnership called the School Based Health Care Coalition to improve adolescents' access to health care and decrease costs through walk-in health centers at the schools.

• October 17, 2002 - AEGiS-IRIN
Ethiopia holds their first teenage forum aimed at fighting HIV/AIDS. Sponsored by the UN Children's Fund, the forum was organized and hosted by teenagers who aim to write a 10-point recommendation and action plan for use in the fight against AIDS.

• October 16, 2002 - Kaiser Foundation
A SexSmarts survey reveals that a majority of teens say that condoms are less of a necessity when the relationship gets more serious. Teens also acknowledge that relationships aren’t always exclusive: twenty-four percent report cheating is a pretty common occurrence.

• October 15, 2002 - Philadelphia Inquirer
Children's Hospital of Philadelphia launches a public awareness campaign called Teen Health Connections that uses messages written and acted out by teens to convey information about STDs and other health topics. Teen Health Connections has produced 17 PSAs and two 30-minute specials on sexual health and cardiovascular health.

• October 13, 2002 - New York Times
Sexuality has become a hot topic in parent education: the Pehlam, NY P.A.C.T. and Rye, NY Facts and Chat are two groups leading the way.

• September 27, 2002 - MMWR
The CDC finds that from 1991-2001, the percentage of U.S. high school students who ever had sexual intercourse and the percentage who had multiple sex partners decreased. Prevalence of condom use increased.

• September 26, 2002 - KaiserNetwork.org
A Child Trends study reveals that most sexually active teenagers had sexual intercourse for the first time in their parents' homes, late at night. Contrary to the popular belief myth that teens most often have sex after school while their parents are at work, only 15% of respondents said that they had sex for the first time between 3 p.m. and 6 p.m.

• July 18, 2002 - Yahoo! News
Cases of syphilis in England have doubled in recent years, heightening the need for better regional and national surveillance systems. There were four outbreaks in England between 1997 and 2000.

• July 07, 2002 - AIDS 2002
XIV International AIDS Conference held in Barcelona, Spain

• June 28, 2002 - The Guardian
England's public health minister gave the first official blessing for health clinics offering contraception, advice on sexual health, and counseling in England's secondary schools, in a campaign to halve the number of teenage pregnancies by 2010.

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