Adolescents and Young Adults Ages 15 to 24 in the U.S. Are Contracting STDs at an Alarming Pace

Jo Craven McGinty’s October 18, 2019, Wall Street Journal article “Public-Health Puzzle: Young People Having Less Sex, Contracting More STDs” presents alarming information based on findings that are part of the annual Sexually Transmitted Disease Surveillance Report published last week by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention :

Last year, combined cases of syphilis, gonorrhea and chlamydia reached an all-time high with half the reported infections occurring in adolescents and young adults ages 15 to 24.

Now if you read the above paragraph and say to yourself — “There are medical treatments that can deal with STDs” — read this next quote from the article (boldface mine) and pay particular attention to the mention of infertility:

According to estimates by the CDC, one in four sexually active adolescent girls has chlamydia or some other STD, and up to 80% of all girls and women who have chlamydia, a disease that can cause infertility, show no symptoms. Based on the number of reported cases, it’s the No. 1 notifiable disease in the country, and because of its continuing prevalence, the CDC considers it to be endemic.

Why am I again writing on this topic on a writer’s blog?

Because of my interest in #SaferSexInFiction — as explained in my Writer’s Digest website guest article — “Why Writers Should Consider Including Safer Sex in Fiction” — and my more recent article on this blog “Writers Practicing Safer Sex in Fiction.”

Given that most of us aren’t in a position to deal in a “boots on the ground” way with reducing STDs among adolescents and young adults, please join with me in motivating those who depict sexual encounters in film, TV and novels to do so in a way that encourages safer sex practices.

And do share this post on social media with the hashtag #SaferSexInFiction.