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Prevention and Control of Sexually Transmitted Infections in the United States

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Topics

A new National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine committee will examine: the epidemiological dimensions of sexually transmitted Infections (STIs) in the United States; the economic burden associated with STIs; current public health strategies and programs to prevent and control STIs; and barriers in the healthcare system and insurance coverage associated with the prevention and treatment of STIs.

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Featured publication

Sexually Transmitted Infections: Adopting a Sexual Health Paradigm

Consensus

·

2021

One in five people in the United States had a sexually transmitted infection (STI) on any given day in 2018, totaling nearly 68 million estimated infections. STIs are often asymptomatic (especially in women) and are therefore often undiagnosed and unreported. Untreated STIs can have severe health co...

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Highlights

We Need More Awareness On Sexual Health

Highlights

Eyerys is a community organizer, activist, and artist. They share from personal experience how race, sexuality, and gender can influence an individual's experience of seeking sexual health care services. How can young people in any area within the United States receive culturally competent sexual health care in a safe environment, particularly those in economically and socially disadvantaged areas? Awareness, education, and training - factors that should be required, not optional.
Learn more at www.nationalacademies.org/preventSTIs

We Need A Holistic Response to Sexual Health Care & Education

Highlights

Whitney Essex, a nurse practitioner, serves the Cherokee Nation in Talequah, Oklahoma where she grew up, a tight-knit rural community where people rely on each other. In a town where there are one or two health care clinics and everyone knows everyone, some are hesitant to talk about their sexual health. There is an opportunity to take a more holistic response to sexually transmitted infections (STIs) in the United States, especially in areas where they are concentrated geographically, and often in specific communities.
Learn more about preventing STIs at: https://www.nationalacademies.org/projects/HMD-BPH-18-11

Sexual Health Must Move Beyond the Individual

Highlights

Many patients seeking care for sexual health or testing for a sexually transmitted infection (STI) do not receive the care they want. Reasons include medical mistrust stemming from historic events, lack of cultural competence, and other factors. STI prevention, control, and treatment must move beyond the individual and toward a more comprehensive view that addresses social factors and determinants of health inequities.
Learn more at www.nationalacademies.org/preventSTIs

A Physician-Parent's Perspective on Youth Sexual Health

Highlights

Amanda is a physician and sexual health specialist who serves her tribe, the Cherokee nation, in Oklahoma. Native Americans are at greater risk for HIV, many sexually transmitted infections (STIs), and substance use. Some of that stems from historical trauma and generational effects. Her personal experiences with high-risk behavior as a youth and her roles as a physician and parent help her understand and treat her patients with empathy especially around STI testing, using contraception, and feeling supported.
Learn more at www.nationalacademies.org/preventSTIs

What is Sexual Health

Highlights

In any given year, 1 in 5 adults will have a sexually transmitted infection (STI) in the United States. We cannot address STIs without also addressing some of the root causes of poor health, such as access to health insurance and health care services, transportation to and from the clinic, education of the health care workers, providers, and patients, systemic issues such as racism, and more. What is sexual health and how can we move toward a sexual health paradigm as a nation? Abraham, Amanda, Eyerys, and Whitney share about their lived experiences on sexual health along with four prominent experts in the field.
Learn more about preventing STIs at: https://www.nationalacademies.org/projects/HMD-BPH-18-11
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