Reported rates of sexually transmitted
infections (STIs) among females vary by a
number of factors, including age and race/ethnicity.
Rates are highest among adolescents and
young adults, and non-Hispanic Blacks and
American Indian/Alaska Natives. In 2005, there
were 1,729 cases of chlamydia and 590 cases of
gonorrhea per 100,000 non-Hispanic Black
females, compared to 237 and 43 cases, respectively,
per 100,000 non-Hispanic White females.
American Indian/Alaska Native females also have
high rates of STIs with 1,778 and 170 cases of
chlamydia and gonorrhea, respectively, per
100,000 females.
Although these STIs are treatable with antibiotics,
they can have serious health consequences.
Active infections can increase the odds of
contracting another STI, such as HIV, and
untreated STIs can lead to pelvic inflammatory
disease, infertility, and adverse pregnancy
outcomes.
Another STI, genital human papillomavirus
(HPV), has been estimated to affect at least
50 percent of the sexually active population. The
first study to examine the prevalence of HPV in
the United States was recently released, based on
data from the National Health and Nutrition
Examination Survey. Overall, 26.8 percent of
females aged 14–59 years were found to have
HPV, with the highest rates occurring among the
20- to 24-year-old age group (44.8 percent).
There are many different types of HPV, and
some, which are referred to as “high-risk,” can
cause cancer. In 2006, the Food and Drug
Administration approved a vaccine that protects
women from four strains of HPV that can be the
source of cervical cancer, precancerous lesions,
and genital warts.1
> VERTICAL
BAR CHART: Reported Rates of Chlamydia and Gonorrhea Among Females Aged 10 and Older, by Race/Ethnicity, 2005
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VERTICAL BAR CHART: Prevalence of Human Papillomavirus (HPV) Among Females Aged 14-59, by Age, 2003-04
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