STD Cases Soar in US Amid Calls for Better Prevention Efforts

• By Cara Murez and Robin Foster HealthDay Reporters
• September 20, 2022
• Full Page

Soaring numbers of sexually transmitted disease (STD) cases have prompted U.S. public health experts to call for more prevention and treatment.

This includes rising rates of syphilis and

Ancient DNA Points to Oral Herpes' Beginnings

• By Cara Murez HealthDay Reporter
• July 28, 2022
• Full Page

While the herpes virus that causes lip sores is common today, it has been difficult for scientists to find traces of it among ancient remains.

Now, researchers report they h...

Many Teens Don't Realize STD Risks From Oral Sex: Poll

• Robert Preidt
• February 2, 2022
• Full Page

Many American teens and young adults underestimate the risk of sexually transmitted infections from unprotected oral sex, and that's especially true of young men, a new survey shows.

Doctors say oral sex can transmit herpes, gonorrhea, chlamydia, syphilis, HIV and human ...

U.S. Adolescents Are Getting Less Sex Education Now Than 25 Years Ago

• Robert Preidt
• November 9, 2021
• Full Page

Sex Ed -- it's been a staple of public education for decades, but new research shows that only half of American teens are getting instruction that meets minimum standards.

"The findings show that most adolescents are not receiving sex education that will enable them to m...

Are We Getting Closer to a Herpes Vaccine?

• Amy Norton
• November 16, 2020
• Full Page

Scientists are reporting early success with an experimental herpes vaccine that uses a genetically modified version of the virus.

The gene edit prevents the virus from performing its normal evasive maneuver: hiding out in nervous system cells in order to elude the i...

'Hey, What Is This?': Social Media, Not Docs, Increasingly Diagnosing STDs

• Dennis Thompson
• November 5, 2019
• Full Page

The HIV test came back positive and the patient, full of fear and denial, took to the STD forum on the popular social media site Reddit.

"I'm really scared because they said my results showed 'HIV-1 Confirmation.' I have to go back and get another test but I'm wonderi...

Experimental Genital Herpes Vaccine Shows Promise in Mice

• Dennis Thompson
• September 26, 2019
• Full Page

An experimental vaccine against genital herpes is extremely effective in mice, offering hope of human protection against an incurable sexually transmitted disease.

The vaccine prevented transmission of the herpes simplex 2 virus to nearly all mice that received the s...

Shaving 'Down There' Won't Raise STD Risks: Study

• Robert Preidt
• September 4, 2019
• Full Page

Women who shave or wax their pubic hair aren't more likely to get chlamydia or gonorrhea, according to new research that challenges studies suggesting that so-called extreme grooming increases the risk of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs).

The study included 214 w...

'Swinging' and Illicit Drugs Often Go Together, Study Finds

• Alan Mozes
• August 13, 2019
• Full Page

When swingers gather for sexual mixers, drugs are often part of the equation, new Dutch research reveals.

And that combination is known to increase the risk of sexually transmitted infections, the researchers added.

In an online poll of more than 1,000 swin...

Connected Teens Become Healthier Adults

• Robert Preidt
• June 28, 2019
• Full Page

Teens who feel connected with others at home and school have fewer serious health problems and risks as young adults, a new study suggests.

Young adults who had higher levels of connectedness -- feeling engaged, supported and cared for at home and at school -- when t...