The STD Epidemic Affecting America’s Youth.

Introduction

STDs are a major public health crisis in the United States. Every year, more than 2 million people become infected with STDs like gonorrhea and chlamydia, which can lead to serious health problems including infertility, chronic pain, and even blindness. But we know how to prevent these infections: by using condoms or birth control pills every time you have sex with someone new. We also need to work harder on finding ways to get rid of these diseases altogether — because while many of them are not curable once contracted (yet), there are treatments available that can help reduce symptoms and improve the quality of life for people living with them today.

New Data Show STIs Among Youth Remain High

The CDC just released new data that show that STIs among young people remain high. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that nearly half of all new STIs occur among the nation’s youth. In 2018, 45.5% of all new STI infections were among young people ages 15–24 in America — which means they were more likely to be infected with chlamydia and gonorrhea than any other age group.

Young People Face Higher Risk of STIs

You might be surprised to learn that young people are more likely to engage in risky sexual behavior than older adults. The reasoning is that they may engage with multiple partners more often, use drugs and alcohol before or during sex, or feel more inclined to take the risk of not using condoms.

The consequences can be serious: According to the CDC, STDs cause life-changing infections and death worldwide — and they’re on the rise in the United States. In 2015 alone there were nearly half a million cases of chlamydia, gonorrhea, and syphilis.

How You Can Reduce The Risks of STD Infections.

The good news is that you can take control of your sexual health.

One of the best ways to prevent STIs is by knowing your risk and how to prevent them. Talk with your healthcare provider about what steps you should take, including:

• Make sure to use condoms or other forms of protection consistently and correctly every time you have sex.
• Get tested regularly for STIs.
• Make sure your partner has been tested recently.
• Vaccinate yourself against the most common STDs (including hepatitis A and B).
• Reduce the number of sexual partners you engage with.
• Make sure that you and your partner are sober during sexual interactions to limit careless choices.

What's Currently Being Done

A company called SafeChoice has come out with the purpose of making safe sex products accessible 24/7 for all students. SafeChoice provides vending machines that contain many products that are meant to help make sex a safe activity. Their products range from condoms to emergency contraceptives and pregnancy tests. They are on a mission to slow down the spread of STD’s and incidents of accidental pregnancies. Their main focus is to expand and place their product throughout college dorms and student housing buildings. They plan on having very competitive pricing in order to make these essential products more affordable for students.

SafeChoice USA has begun placing their vending machines in numerous residential properties in New York City. All universities and students can reach out to SafeChoice’s contact page to request for a SafeChoice vending machine to be placed within their student dorms. What is interesting is that SafeChoice provides the option to receive a vending machine at any dorm resident at no cost. They currently require that locations looking to have a SafeChoice machine installed need to have a power source and camera security in a location that is accessible to students within the dorm building.

SafeChoice also provides students the ability to request specific products. They do however state that the requested products will not immediately be placed in the machines. The requested products will be posted on their social media and will need to receive a certain amount of votes before they are added. This is to make sure that there is demand for the product that is being requested.

SafeChoice can currently be found through their website safechoiceusa.com or one of their social media accounts. Their social media handles on all platforms us @SafeChoiceUSA. They are now present on Instagram, Tik Tok, Twitter, and LinkedIn.

This article was written on November 30th, 2022. All of the information above is true based on public information and an interview with a SafeChoice staff member. All of the information above is subject to change.