Summary: 74% of New Chlamydial Infections in 2000 Occurred Among 15-24-Year-Olds.

In 2000, the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) received 702,093 reports of chlamydial infection. Of reported cases that included the age of the infected individual, 74% occurred in persons aged 15-24.

An estimated 18.9 million new cases of STDs occurred in 2000. Of those, 48 percent (9.1 million) cases were among 15-24-year-olds. In 2000, the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) received 702,093 reports of chlamydial infection. Of reported cases that included the age of the infected individual, 74% occurred in persons aged 15-24. Also in 2000, a total of 358,995 new cases of gonorrhea were reported to the CDC. Of this amount, 60% were among persons aged 15-24. In the past three decades, the incidence and prevalence of genital herpes have increased dramatically. Researchers estimated that 1.6 million new HSV-2 (Herpes Simplex Virus-2) occurred in the United States in 2000. It was also estimated that youth acquire 640,000 new HSV-2 infections each year. Of the STDs examined, HPV was the most commonly acquired, followed by trichomoniasis and Chlamydia. Together, these three STDs accounted for 88% of all new cases of STDs among 15-24-year-olds in 2000; HPV and trichomoniasis accounted for 72% of new infections. These estimates emphasize this age-group’s particular vulnerability to STDs.

¹Sexually Transmitted Diseases Among American Youth: Incidence and Prevalence Estimates, 2000, Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health, 2004, 36(1):6-10.