Why Is STD Awareness Important?

Each aspect of your personal health is important.  Daily we are reminded in the media to exercise, eat right, and be good stewards of our own health.  Mixed into that media attention are advertisements which promote health, but, from the perspective of pharmaceutical companies.  Yet, despite this attention to our health, we are not exposed to media attention which attempts to educate and inform individuals about their sexual and reproductive health, including Sexually Transmitted Diseases.

STD Awareness is then an important effort to empower individuals with the knowledge and understanding of STDs.  Through increasing STD Awareness, individuals can:

*   Understand the diseases themselves and how to avoid infection.
*   Understand the risk factors which contribute to STD infections.
*   Understand their options for testing and treatments.
*   Encourage testing and treatment for a person's partners to curb the spread of the disease.
*   Pursue an open and honest dialouge about STDs as part of their overall health with their physicians, health care provider, or loved ones.
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Sexually Transmitted Diseases affect millions of Americans annually.  
STDs can be bacterial, viral, or parasitic in nature.  Some infections can go unrecognized because the disease does not display any signs or symptoms to the individual.  STDs, if undiagnosed, can produce long-term adverse effects including:

* Infertility
* Pelvic inflammatory disease
* Neurological damage

All Americans are encouraged to learn about symptoms associated with STDs, avoid risks, and protect themselves.