Living With an STD in America

Living With An STD in America      By:Aaron Roberts

An STD (Sexually Transmitted Disease) is an infection that is transmitted through sexual contact from a person who is already infected.  STDs more common then you think in the United States.  This past year a study was done with some staggering results.  Researchers found that 110 million Americans (both men and women) are indeed infected with an STD.[1] There are a lot of Sexually Transmitted Infections out there, around 24 or so, and of those 24, eight were surveyed in this study.  Not only are these Disease/ Infections annoying, but also they are expensive.  In 2006 an estimated $14.7 billion dollars of medical coasts were directly linked with Sexually Transmitted Infections.[2] Aids has no cure known yet, but does have medicine available to keep it from progressing into the final stage of aids.  People like Magic Johnson; an Ex-NBA player for the Los Angeles Lakers was diagnosed with HIV in 1991 and spends copious amounts of money on medicine and drugs to keep his HIV from progressing into full-blown aids.  He basically pays to continue living. Many other celebrities in America also have or have had an STD at some point including Trey Songz, Billy Idol, Pamela Anderson, Steven Tyler, and of course Magic Johnson.[3]  Although it is not ideal to have any sexually transmitted infections, it is probably better to have one in America then it is anywhere else.  There is easier access to good health care, unlike some countries around the world.  In America they also keep things of this matter private from other people, as it should be.  To go along with medical care, some infections are easily curable with medication, and while other countries may have medical care, they still might not have access to any of the right medicines needed to treat these sexually transmitted infections.  Living with an STI is of course not favorable even if it is in America, but there are precautions that can be taken to ensure you don’t get one, including practicing safe sex and using protection and if you do happen to contract a sexually transmitted infection then the advancements in medical technology can provide relief by providing medicine to get rid of it, or to subdue it long enough to prolong ones life.  Always get tested to ensure you don’t have an infection.

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[1] Ryan Jaslow, “CDC: 110 Million STDs Among U.S. Men and Women,” CBS News

[2] Guttmacher Institute, “Facts on Sexually Transmitted Infections in the United States,” Guttmacher Institute

[3] The Huffington Post “Celebrities with STD’s” The Huffington Post