Sexually Transmitted Disease (STD) News and Research

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Sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) are infections that you can get from having sex with someone who has the infection. The causes of STDs are bacteria, parasites and viruses.

As syphilis rates increase in Los Angeles County, new study suggests the disease is increasing HIV rates

The syphilis epidemic among men who have sex with men in Los Angeles County may be contributing to rates of HIV in this population, according to a new report published in the Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome.

23 Apr 2005

Wide variation in access to HIV medications across states

Twenty-one State AIDS Drug Assistance Programs (ADAPs) report limiting access to their programs in some way, including 11 with waiting lists, despite an increase in the national ADAP budget, according to the ninth annual National ADAP Monitoring Project Report released by the Kaiser Family Foundation and the National Alliance of State AIDS Directors (NASTAD).

23 Apr 2005

Alarming trends in sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) among America's young people

A study by ASHA, sponsored by Roche Diagnostics of Indianapolis, Indiana is being released in conjunction with April's STD Awareness Month and demonstrates that the incident rate of STDS in youth (ages 15-24) have increased dramatically in recent years.

12 Apr 2005

Risk of HIV transmission highest in early stage of infection

The risk of HIV transmission via heterosexual intercourse is highest early in the course of HIV infection, before most infected people know their HIV status, according to a new study published in the May 1 issue of The Journal of Infectious Diseases, now available online

6 Apr 2005

Black men in Britain have more lovers

Black British men have nine times as many lovers during their lifetimes as Pakistani men, according to new data which follows analysis of sexual habits of different ethnic groups in Britain in the second British National Survey of Sexual Attitudes and Lifestyles.

4 Apr 2005

Sexual behaviour alone doesn’t explain the differences in STIs among ethnic groups

Patterns of sexual lifestyles and sexually transmitted infections (STI) vary among ethnic groups in Great Britain, concludes a study in this week’s issue of The Lancet.

3 Apr 2005

STD incidents amongst students who pledge viginity

Hannah Brückner, assistant professor of sociology at Yale University and Peter Bearman, professor of sociology at Columbia University, in new research say young adults who make virginity pledges as adolescents are just as likely to be infected with sexually transmitted diseases as those who do not take virginity pledges, and that virginity pledges may even encourage higher risk sexual behavior.

21 Mar 2005

Virginity pledges may even encourage higher risk sexual behavior among young adults

Young adults who take virginity pledges as adolescents are as likely to be infected with sexually transmitted diseases as those who do not take virginity pledges, Yale and Columbia University researchers report in the March 18 issue of Journal of Adolescent Health.

21 Mar 2005

10% of homosexual men diagnosed late died within a year

1 in 4 HIV-infected homosexual men in England and Wales were diagnosed late in 2001 and 10% died within a year compared to only 0.5% of those not diagnosed late - reports a recent AIDS journal article

17 Mar 2005

New set of standards to improve sexual health services in the NHS

A new set of clear recommended standards to improve sexual health services in the NHS have been jointly launched today by Public Health Minister Melanie Johnson and Ruth Lowbury of the Medical Foundation for AIDS and Sexual Health.

16 Mar 2005

New HIV screening method, nucleic acid amplification testing (NAAT)

Adding a new HIV screening method, called nucleic acid amplification testing (NAAT), to standard HIV testing, researchers were able to uncover six percent more cases of HIV infection in urban STD and drug treatment clinics and HIV testing sites in Atlanta than with standard HIV antibody tests alone.

27 Feb 2005

Injections with dirty or contaminated needles are not contributing to the spread of HIV in sub-Saharan Africa

Recently, some scientists have suggested that medical injections with contaminated needles were an important, but ignored, factor in the spread of HIV across sub-Saharan Africa. However, research published today in Public Library of Science Medicine shows that injections with dirty needles are not a major source of HIV transmission in rural Zimbabwe.

22 Feb 2005

Innovative HIV/STD prevention program targets Guinean gold mining camps

A common, yet risky practice among gold miners in rural Guinea to engage in short "marriages" with women working briefly at the mine is the target of an innovative health communication program that educates both women and miners about how to prevent HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases.

22 Feb 2005

Free chlamydia testing in pharmacies - questions need addressing

The British Government’s pilot scheme offering free chlamydia testing in pharmacies is to be applauded but a number of issues need to be resolved if it is to be a success, concludes an editorial in this week’s issue of The Lancet.

20 Feb 2005

Immediate access to antibiotics stems spread of sexually transmitted diseases

In an editorial to be published in The New England Journal of Medicine, researchers at Johns Hopkins offer their support for a study which shows that providing faster, more direct access to antibiotics for partners of newly infected patients reduces re-infection rates and spread of sexually transmitted diseases, such as gonorrhea and Chlamydia, compared to standard practice.

16 Feb 2005

New 3-DCR HIV strain does not respond to three classes of anti-retroviral medication

A highly resistant strain of rapidly progressive human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) has been diagnosed for the first time in a New York City resident who had not previously undergone antiviral drug treatment, according to the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH).

13 Feb 2005

Parents comfortable with vaccination for STIs for their children

Parents are generally accepting of the hypothetical scenario of vaccinating their adolescent children against infection, whether the infection is sexually transmitted or not, according to a study in the February issue of The Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine.

7 Feb 2005

Sexual behaviour study of Nepalese trekking guides

Researchers in Aberdeen have begun a study into the sexual behaviour of trekking guides in one of the world’s fastest growing adventure destinations.

7 Feb 2005

US rates of early death and disability from sexual behaviour triple those of other wealthy nations

The rates of premature death and disability attributable to sexual behaviour in the United States are triple those of other wealthy nations, suggests research in Sexually Transmitted Infections.

26 Jan 2005

New federal guidelines for the use of antiretroviral drugs to prevent HIV infection

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) today announced new federal guidelines for the use of antiretroviral drugs to prevent HIV infection after exposure to HIV through sexual intercourse, sexual assault, injection drug use, or accidents.

20 Jan 2005