STD rates among U.S. teens

The CDC released a report saying that the U.S. has among the highest rates of sexually transmitted diseases in the developed world, especially among those aged 15-24. Cases of chlamydia, gonorrhea and syphilis, the three big curable diseases, have all risen significantly in the past year. In addition, the CDC claims that over 19 million new infections take place each year, half among the teenage sector.

John Douglas of the CDC states that "…we haven't been promoting the full battery of messages…we have been sending people out with one seatbelt in the whole car." This allusion to the policies of the previous decade begs the question: how well is abstinence-only education working? What policies should be in place to prevent the resurgence of STDs, especially among the younger generation?