(April 4, 2000) — You may think that it can never happen to you. It always seems that it’s “that guy” or “that girl” or that “person over there” that contracts an STD. But think it over. It could happen to anyone. Even you. Sexually transmitted diseases (STD) is the term that has replaced VD, or venereal disease: diseases/infections that are spread and transmitted through sex with someone who already has an STD. In the 1980’s people thought of AIDS as a homosexual disease; however, this idea was proven wrong. AIDS, an STD, is a world issue and not just a national problem. Women in parts of Africa think that sex makes them more beautiful and having sex with a virgin would cure AIDS. Today, more and more people in developing countries are beginning to use protection. Furthermore, nearly all prostiutes in Thailand are HIV positive. Globally, about 333 million new cases of curable STDs occur each year among adults. During the past 40 years, astounding progress has been made in the U.S. The dangers of STDs have been announced to the public, and the rates of some STDs, such as gonorrhea and syphilis, have recently been brought to historic lows. That is to say, the number of people with syphilis and gonorrhea has diminished dramatically. However, the U.S. still has the highest rates of STDs, ratings from 50-100 times higher than other countries. About 12 million new cases of STDs show up in the U.S. each year. Of these 12 million, 3 million occur among teenagers. Statistics taken by the National STD Prevention documented that over 85% of the most common contagious diseases in the United States are sexually transmitted. In addition to human costs, STDs add $17 billion to the nation’s health care costs each year. According to research, most people are mainly worried about HIV infection and AIDS. The AIDS virus attacks the immune system, making it weaker and vulnerable to diseases. Thus, the slightest disease could kill you because the immune system cannot fight it. At this time, there is no cure for AIDS. Sexually-transmitted diseases often don’t show symptoms; and because no symptoms show up, tests aren’t taken, causing people to spread the disease without knowing that they even have it. Many health care professionals test for STDs: primary care physicians, nurse practitioners, gynecologists, clinicians at an STD clinic of local or state health department, women’s clinic, hospitals or OB/GYNs. Health professionals recommend people who are sexually active to get tested for STDs on a regular basis. As most people would say, “It’s better to be safe than sorry.”