A new study from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) advises that HIV tests for teens are introduced in most U.S. metropolises.

Back in 2006, more than a million Americans were living with HIV, and 5% of that total – around 55,000 – were aged between 13 and 24. Now, that number is on the rise. The AAP is recommending HIV tests for those teens aged 16 and above who live in an area where more than 0.1% of the population has been diagnosed with the virus.

Co-author of the AAP report Patricia Emmanuel, also a professor of pediatrics at the University of South Florida, says, “Our youth are having sex and our youth are getting HIV.”

The report, published this week in the journal Pediatrics, also advises routine screening at urgent-care clinics and emergency departments in high-prevalence areas. And it argues any teen tested for an STD should authomatically receive a HIV test.

The idea of routine HIV testing is not new. In 2006, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended testing for people aged between 13 and 64, but the U.S. Public Health Service did not endorse it, and many doctors ignored the advice due to cost-effectiveness.

But now the issue is back on the table, doctors are also being urged to talk to their teen patients more about the dangers of unsafe sexual behavior. As Emmanuel states:

“HIV is not just a grown-up disease. The greatest increase is in young gay men, mostly ethnic minorities. Many are 16, 17 and 18. They are not 13, but they are teenagers.”

[Image via Piotr Marcinski / Shutterstock.com]

HIV Tests Advised For Teens is a post from: The Inquisitr

Home prices are down, stocks are down and it seems that while the recession marches on, everything is somewhat depressed.

To add to the bad news, it seems that in some areas, the tough financial climate has had an impact on sexual behavior- so much so that the rate of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) or sexually transmitted infections (STIs) has increased significantly. An Ohio epidemiologist commented on the reason behind the troubling statistics:

“The more poverty increases, the more divorce rates increase, the more bad things happen on a social level and that certainly would contribute to the transmission of STDs and other diseases as well,” said Donald Brannen, epidemiologist, Greene County Combined Health District.

In some Ohio counties, rates for two common STD rose sharply in the past half decade or so. In Miami County, Chlamydia rates shot up from 167.6 per 100,000 to 230.5 per 100,000. In Greene County, the rate shot from 198 to 316.6 per 100,000. In Warren County, the rate increased from 103.6 to 171.7 per 100,000.

STD prevention program manager for the Ohio Department of Health Jen Keagy cited reduced resources as a contributing factor in the findings.

STD Rates Up During Recession is a post from: The Inquisitr

Contrary to common wisdom on the subject, it appears genital herpes sufferers may actually be more contagious than previously thought.

Only 10 to 25% of sufferers are aware they are infected with the condition, and a new study reveals that the condition is transmissible even when infected individuals are asymptomatic. Even in the absence of lesions, new research shows, the virus is present and contagious. The study, published in Journal of the American Medical Association, involved nearly 500 participants who had tested positive for the virus. Participants performed daily genital swabs, yielding over 28,000 samples for study.

On 20% of days in the 410 symptomatic participants, the virus was detected, compared with 10% of days in those with no symptoms. Fred Wyand, spokesman for the American Social Health Association, called the data “robust,” and commented on the large number of people spreading the virus without even knowing they’re infected:

“Most people don’t know they have it,” Wyand said. They may even have symptoms, but not recognize what they are.

“They could be mild symptoms or they may attribute it to something else: chafing, jock itch, yeast infections,” he explained.

Doctors say that condom use, antiviral medication such as Valtrex, and disclosing a herpes infection to partners are proven to reduce the likelihood of herpes transmission “by 30 to 50 percent.”

Study: Genital Herpes transmissible pretty much all the time is a post from: The Inquisitr

The results of a study undertaken in the UK indicate that people over the age of 45 are not only totally doing it, they’re not protecting themselves against diseases transmitted by sexual contact nearly as much as their younger counterparts.

According to the Daily Mail, rates of STD infection (or STIs in the UK) have doubled in those over 45 since 2000, and infections involving chronic conditions have skyrocketed:

UK study indicates old people getting STDs, shagging at an alarming rate is a post from: The Inquisitr

On the great grand list of things we’re not yet ready for, I think you might find location-aware game badges celebrating STD testing.

STD testing is a clever, responsible thing to do if you’re regular tapping that ass (especially if it’s several asses.) But so are pap smears, and I am pretty sure I wouldn’t announce mine with a speculum badge on Foursquare. The awareness initiative is a joint venture with MTV aimed at removing the stigma attached to STD testing, explains Mashable:

The Foursquare partnership encourages people to follow MTV on Foursquare, check in after getting tested and shout “GYT” to their followers. After doing so, users will earn the GYT badge, and thereby make it known that they’re taking control of their sex lives. Those who score the badge will also be entered to win a trip for two to New York City, as well as backstage passes to MTV’s 10 on Top.

In order to unlock the badge, you have to shout “GYT” at your friends after checking in at a clinic. Considering the blurred lines we now have between professional and personal lives on places like Foursquare, Facebook and Twitter (the latter two are often fed check-ins and updated mayorships from the former), is this something that has far more potential to cause harm than good? Would you display an “I’ve been tested” badge on your Foursquare account?

Use Foursquare to get an STD… badge… is a post from: The Inquisitr