Survey: rate of STDs increasing, public's awareness fluctuating - sexually transmitted disease - Inside Pharmacy - column

Survey: Rate of STDs increasing, Public's awareness fluctuating

Last month, about 10,000 students on spring break in Daytona Beach were asked some pretty personal questions by Carter-Wallace, makers of Trojan condoms. The company was conducting its third annual sexual responsibility survey.

Carter-Wallace found that 86 percent of students polled were "very concerned" or "somewhat concerned" about contracting a sexually transmitted disease (STD). That concern seems warranted since 42 percent of the respondents said they knew someone who had a sexually transmitted disease.

The findings aren't surprising. A recent study by The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) estimates that there will be at least 7.5 million new cases of the five most common STDs this year alone. Those five are chlamydia, gonorrhea, syphilis, herpes and genital warts.

Despite the millions of dollars being spent on public education, STDs continue to increase at alarming rates. Public awareness of some STDs is high; 96 percent of respondents to the CDC study said they were aware of AIDS, 94 percent could identify syphilis as a sexually transmitted disease. Yet other, more common STDs remain mysterious to a large percentage of the population.

Chylamydia, the third most common sexually transmitted disease, was indicated by only 37 percent of adults in the CDC study as a health problem they could identify. The CDC estimates that four million new cases of chylamydia are expected this year alone.

The lack of awareness is particularly upsetting to health professionals since chylamydia has few, if any, recognizable symptoms. The infection can remain unnoticed and untreated until it has caused serious problems, such as pelvic inflammatory disease, ectopic pregnancy or infertility.

One thing that all STDs have in common is that they are preventable. Early detection and treatment of STDs is important to the success of their treatment. Aside from abstinence or mutual monogamy, people can protect themselves from STDs by using condoms and spermicides. Both have been shown to be effective in reducing the spread of viruses and bacteria.

Carter-Wallace did uncover some encouraging news in its spring break study. Students are becoming more aware of sexually transmitted diseases and are doing something about them.

Nearly half of the students surveyed agreed that condoms were a good way to protect themselves from STDs. In this year's survey, 57 percent of the respondents said they were using condoms for STD protection versus 53 percent in 1988 and 50 percent in 1987 who were condom users.

With more companies sponsoring public education programs and more literature available to educate people about the risks associated with sexually transmitted diseases, hopefully more teens and adults will become more sexually responsible and work toward the prevention or early detection and treatment of these diseases.

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