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CDC's Report Underscores Need for More STD Prevention Initiatives Targeting Black Women and Gay Men of All Races
January 14, 2009, New York, NY — Sexually-transmitted diseases (STDs) continue to take an especially heavy toll on black women 15 to 19 years of age, according to the Sexually Transmitted Disease Surveillance 2007 report, released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on January 13. Black women in this age group account for the highest rates of both chlamydia and gonorrhea of any group. Among the three most common reportable STDs, African-Americans bear the greatest burden in general.
A report less than a year ago by the CDC indicated that one in four female teenagers 14-19 years old in the United States is infected with at least one of the most common STDs, including almost half of African-American women surveyed. These vexing racial disparities point clearly to the need and resources for more tailored initiatives, such as comprehensive sex education and community-level prevention, for young black women.
"It is staggering, but not surprising, that young black women are disproportionately impacted by STDs," said Kimberleigh J. Smith, MPA, Director of the Women's Institute at Gay Men's Health Crisis. "These trends are mirrored right here in New York City, not because black girls are having dramatically more sex, but because risk is more than an individual issue. It is a result of systematic and institutionalized racism, inequitable access to health care and poverty. These structural forces drive up STD and HIV infections and create racial and gender disparities."
The connection to HIV is significant. Co-infection of either sexual partner with an STD can increase considerably the rate of HIV transmission. Recent prevalence data show women infected with chlamydia are up to five times more likely to become infected with HIV, if exposed, and women are not only three-times as likely as men to be diagnosed with chlamydia, but the rate of reported chlamydia among African-American women is more than 7.5 times that of white women.
Moreover, the CDC report found that 65% of new syphilis infections in 2007 occurred among men who have sex with men (MSM). As MSM are only two to three percent of the adult population, this represents an astonishing disparity. MSM are 20 to 30 times as likely to get syphilis as the average person. In August 2008, the CDC reported that MSM represent 57% of new HIV infections, indicating a similar disparity and odds ratio for MSM and HIV.
"These stunning syphilis data, coupled with the latest HIV incidence data, confirm that the gay men's health crisis continues," said Sean Cahill, Ph.D., Managing Director of Public Policy, Research and Community Health for GMHC. "It is imperative that gay and bisexual men be vigilant and get tested for syphilis on a regular basis, even if they experience no symptoms. Syphilis left untreated makes it easier to become infected with and transmit HIV."
"Policy makers must work to address the root causes of higher STD rates among gay men," Cahill continued, "such as anti-gay bias, family rejection, self-esteem issues, mental health and substance use. We should promote mental and physical health for gay men through affirming school-based interventions, internet interventions, and other means of shifting social norms. We are hopeful that the incoming administration and Congress will approach the sexual health issues affecting all Americans from a science-based perspective, and move away from the ideological and religion-based policies we have seen under the Bush-Cheney Administration."
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Gay Men's Health Crisis (GMHC) is a not-for-profit, volunteer-supported and community-based organization committed to national leadership in the fight against AIDS. We provide prevention and care services to more than 15,000 men, women and families that are living with, or affected by, HIV/AIDS in New York City, and advocate for scientific, evidence-based public health solutions for hundreds of thousands worldwide.
Our Mission: GMHC fights to end the AIDS epidemic and uplift the lives of all affected.
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