From Medical Authorities

Gonorrhea trends have been quite consistent ever since 1975. The number of reported gonorrhea cases has generally declined, starting in the mid-1970s with the introduction of the national gonorrhea control program. A disproportionate share of the decline occurred among older, white populations, with infection rates remaining relatively high among minority races and adolescents. In addition, reported gonorrhea is associated with a younger mean age than syphilis among all gender and race categories. In 1996, CDC reported 325,900 new cases of gonorrhea. Because previous investigations have shown about half of all diagnosed gonorrhea cases are reported to public health authorities, an estimated total of 650,000 new gonorrhea infections occurred in 1996.

Syphilis trends have followed a roller coaster course for the last half-century. Its incidence rose during World War 11, but fell thereafter, coinciding with the introduction of penicillin. The lowest levels were observed at the end of the 1950s, but from the 1960s on, the incidence of syphilis increased. A rapidly rising male-to-female ratio coincided with the spread of syphilis among men having sex with men throughout the 1970s. However, in the 1980s, indicative of the safer sexual behaviors stimulated by HIV prevention messages, syphilis cases in gay males declined precipitously. This encouraging trend was directly countered by the number of climbing syphilis cases during the late 1980s among heterosexuals of minority races, in large part fueled by the crack epidemic. Nonetheless, during the 1990s, syphilis levels again fell to numbers seen two decades earlier, leading public health authorities to entertain notions of syphilis elimination. In 1996, CDC reported 11,400 new cases of primary and secondary syphilis and S3,000 new cases of all stages of syphilis. Accounting for an estimated 20% underreporting, approximately 70,000 total syphilis infections in 1996 were estimated to have been diagnosed.

Division of Infectious Disease - HIV, STD and Viral Hepatitis Program
Division of Infectious Disease - HIV, STD and Viral Hepatitis Program Program

Division of Infectious Disease - STD Prevention
AGENCY INFORMATION. HIV, STD and Viral Hepatitis Program. Monthly STD/HIV tables showing quarterly incidence and demographic.

Divison of Sexually Transmitted Disease (STD) Prevention
The Massachusetts State Legislature established the Division of Sexually Transmitted Disease (STD) Prevention, formerly the Venereal Disease Division.

SEXUALLY TRANSMITTED DISEASES (STDs) PDF
For example, having an STD

Condom Brochure, FDA OSHI HIV STDs
The brochure talks about prevention of HIV transmission by abstinence and with the use of latex condoms.

FDA Consumer Reprint--On the Teen Scene: Preventing STDs
Teens should know that the only form of birth control that can help prevent AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases is the latex condom.

HIV/AIDS/STD Prevention Program
AIDS/HIV/STD Prevention Program of the Wisconsin DPI's Student Services, Prevention and Wellness Team, with links to other programs and publications.