Infections known as sexually transmitted diseases get passed from one person to another during sexual contact. Here’s what you need to know.
- One in four people in the United States—that’s about 110 million people—live with an STD and can pass it on to others.
- Sexually active 15- to 24-year-olds account for half of the 20 million new STD infections every year.
- The human papillomavirus vaccine protects women against two of the HPV types that cause 70 percent of all cervical cancer cases.
- Approximately 1 in every 6 U.S. people aged 14 to 49 has genital herpes.
- Pregnant women who acquire genital herpes near the time of delivery have a 30 to 50 percent chance of transmitting the virus to their baby.