[Congressional Bills 111th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 509 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

111th CONGRESS
  2d Session
S. RES. 509

      Designating April 2010 as ``National STD Awareness Month''.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             April 29, 2010

 Mr. Burris submitted the following resolution; which was referred to 
                     the Committee on the Judiciary

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
      Designating April 2010 as ``National STD Awareness Month''.

Whereas sexually transmitted infections (referred to in this preamble as 
        ``STIs'') (also commonly known as sexually transmitted diseases, or 
        ``STDs'') are a major public health challenge for the United States in 
        economic and human terms;
Whereas the United States has the highest rate of people with STIs in the 
        industrialized world, with an estimated 19,000,000 new cases occurring 
        each year;
Whereas each year, approximately \1/2\ of the new cases of STIs occur in young 
        people between the ages of 15 to 24;
Whereas all people of the United States have an interest in STIs because every 
        community is impacted and everyone pays for the cost of the infections, 
        either directly or indirectly;
Whereas according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (referred to 
        in this preamble as ``CDC''), STIs impose a tremendous economic burden 
        on the United States, with direct medical costs for treating STIs as 
        high as $15,900,000 per year;
Whereas in 2008, the CDC estimated that 1 in 4 young women between the ages of 
        14 and 19 in the United States, or 3,200,000 teenage girls, and nearly 1 
        in 2 African-American young women are infected with 1 or more of the 
        most common sexually transmitted infections, including the human 
        papillomavirus (referred to in this preamble as ``HPV''), chlamydia, 
        herpes simplex virus, and trichomoniasis;
Whereas in 2010, CDC data indicated that 1 in 6 Americans between the ages of 14 
        and 49 years old are infected with type 2 of the herpes simplex virus, a 
        lifelong and incurable infection, and that of the group of infected 
        Americans, African-American women were the most affected group, with a 
        prevalence rate of 48 percent;
Whereas poverty and lack of access to quality health care exacerbate the rate of 
        infection with the human immunodeficiency virus (referred to in this 
        preamble as ``HIV'') and other STIs;
Whereas men who have sex with men continue to be disproportionately impacted by 
        STIs, accounting for 63 percent of all syphilis cases in 2008 as 
        compared to only 4 percent of STIs in 2000;
Whereas racial disparities in rates of STIs are among the worst health 
        disparities in the United States for any health condition;
Whereas most STIs have been associated with increased risk of HIV transmission 
        and are likely contributing to the ongoing HIV epidemic in the United 
        States;
Whereas the CDC reports that the 2 most common STIs among young women are HPV, 
        with 18 percent infected, and chlamydia, with 4 percent infected;
Whereas the long-term health effects of HPV and chlamydia are especially severe 
        for women and include infertility and cervical cancer;
Whereas vaccination, screening, and early treatment can prevent some of the most 
        devastating effects of STIs;
Whereas high STI infection rates in the United States demonstrate the need for 
        better ways to reach the individuals most at risk for infection;
Whereas the CDC recommends--

    (1) annual chlamydia screenings for sexually active women 25 years of 
age and younger;

    (2) HPV vaccination for girls and women between the ages of 11 and 26 
who have not been vaccinated, or who have not completed the full series of 
shots; and

    (3) screening for HIV, syphilis, chlamydia, and gonorrhea at least once 
a year for men who have sex with men and who are not in a long-term, 
mutually monogamous relationship;

Whereas chlamydia can lead to pelvic inflammatory disease, chronic pelvic pain, 
        infertility, and tubular pregnancies, which can affect the health and 
        well-being of a woman throughout her lifetime;
Whereas STIs can be transmitted from infected mothers to infants during 
        childbirth and can cause severe health consequences in the infants;
Whereas STIs often cause social stigma and may have a serious psychological 
        impact among the individuals who are infected;
Whereas people protect themselves against STIs through participation in programs 
        that provide comprehensive and medically accurate health information and 
        screening and treatment services, including title X of the Public Health 
        Service Act (42 U.S.C. 300 et seq.) and the STI prevention program of 
        the CDC;
Whereas school-based STI screening programs have been highly successful in cases 
        in which the programs are implemented and are effective at preventing 
        the spread of STIs among adolescents;
Whereas the sexual and reproductive health needs of men must be more thoroughly 
        recognized and better addressed by the public health and medical 
        provider community in order to more effectively combat the spread of 
        STIs;
Whereas STI programs in State and local health departments that are funded 
        through the Division of STD Prevention of the CDC are the frontline of 
        the defense of the United States against the spread of STIs;
Whereas STI screening, vaccination, and other prevention strategies for sexually 
        active women should be among the highest public health priorities; and
Whereas the CDC observes April as ``National STD Awareness Month'': Now, 
        therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the Senate--
            (1) designates April 2010 as ``National STD Awareness 
        Month'';
            (2) encourages the Federal Government, States, localities, 
        and nonprofit organizations to observe the month with 
        appropriate programs and activities, with the goal of 
        increasing public knowledge of the risks of sexually 
        transmitted infections (referred to in this resolution as 
        ``STIs'') and protecting people of all ages;
            (3) recognizes the human toll of STIs and the importance of 
        making the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of STIs an 
        urgent public health priority;
            (4) calls on all people of the United States to learn about 
        STIs and the prevention approaches recommended for STIs; and
            (5) encourages all sexually active individuals to get 
        tested for STIs and to seek appropriate care if infected.
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