CDC estimates that about 20 percent of the U.S. population – approximately one in five people in the U.S. – had an STI on any given day in 2018, and STIs acquired that year cost the American health care system nearly $16 billion in health care costs alone.
Know the Facts
False assumptions about sexually transmitted infections, or STIs – how they’re spread, prevented, and treated – are everywhere, and it can be especially hard for people to get the facts. Making sure that you have the correct information about STI prevention and testing has never been more important.
Did you know…?
- STIs impact young people the hardest. In the U.S., almost half of all new infections in 2018 were among people aged 15-24.
- If you are sexually active, you can lower your risk of getting an infection several ways, including by using a condom the right way from start to finish.
- Almost all STIs that can be spread via condomless vaginal sex also can be spread through oral and anal sex without a condom.
- You can’t tell if someone has an STI just by looking at them. Many infections don’t cause any symptoms, so the only way to know for sure is to get tested.
- Even if you use birth control, you should still think about STI prevention. Birth control methods like the pill, patch, ring, and IUD are very effective at preventing pregnancy, but they do not protect against STIs and HIV.
- The most reliable way to avoid STIs is to not have vaginal, anal, or oral sex.