STD Awareness Week 12 to 18

About STD Awareness Week
STD Awareness Week, observed the second full week in Aprilpdf icon, provides an opportunity to raise awareness about STDs and how they impact our lives; reduce STD-related stigma, fear, and discrimination; and ensure people have the tools and knowledge to prevent, test for, and treat STDs.

For years, the U.S. has been battling steep, sustained increases in STDs. A recent report estimates that about 20 percent of the U.S. population – approximately one in five people in the U.S. – had an STI on any given day in 2018, and STIs acquired that year cost the American health care system nearly $16 billion in health care costs alone. Recent surveillance report data show STDs are not slowing down, but continue reaching all-time highs.

There were nearly 68 million (prevalent) STIs and 26 million new (incident) STIs in 2018; almost half of new STIs were among ages 15-24.
In this context, innovative STD testing strategies are critical for STD prevention. With new opportunities for phone, video, or online health care visits, STD care is expanding beyond the clinic setting. Expanding these strategies can help us reduce STDs and address the challenges of health care access that existed before.

Thank you for your continued commitment to STD prevention and for joining us in raising awareness to make a difference in our communities. We look forward to seeing your work in action across the nation. We cannot protect the public’s health without you.