[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 70 (Wednesday, April 30, 2008)]
[Senate]
[Pages S3599-S3600]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         SUBMITTED RESOLUTIONS

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    SENATE RESOLUTION 542--DESIGNATING APRIL 2008 AS ``NATIONAL STD 
                           AWARENESS MONTH''

  Mr. REID (for Mrs. Clinton (for herself, Mr. Menendez, Mr. Feingold, 
and Mr. Lautenberg)) submitted the following resolution; which was 
referred to the Committee on the Judiciary:

                              S. Res. 542

       Whereas sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) pose a 
     significant burden in the United States both in economic and 
     human terms;
       Whereas the United States has the highest rate of STD 
     infection in the industrialized world, with an estimated 
     19,000,000 new cases of STDs occurring each year, and almost 
     half of those infections occurring in young people between 
     the ages of 15 to 24;
       Whereas, according to the Centers for Disease Control and 
     Prevention (CDC), STDs impose a tremendous economic burden on 
     the United States, with direct medical costs as high as 
     $15,300,000,000 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, is infected with at least 1 of the 
     most common STDs, which are human papillomavirus (HPV), 
     chlamydia, herpes simplex virus, and trichomoniasis;
       Whereas poverty and lack of access to quality health care 
     exacerbate the rate of infection with HIV and other STDs;
       Whereas the CDC reports that 48 percent of young African-
     American women are infected with an STD, compared to 20 
     percent of young Caucasian women;
       Whereas the CDC also reports that the 2 most common STDs 
     among young women are HPV, with 18 percent infected, and 
     chlamydia, with 4 percent infected;
       Whereas the long-term health effects of STDs are especially 
     severe for women and include infertility and cervical cancer;
       Whereas HPV vaccination and the screening and early 
     treatment of STDs can prevent some of the most devastating 
     effects of untreated STDs;
       Whereas the high STD infection rate among young women in 
     the United States demonstrates the need to develop ways to 
     reach those young women most at risk of infection;
       Whereas the CDC recommends annual chlamydia screenings for 
     sexually active women 25 years old and younger;
       Whereas the CDC also recommends that 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, be fully 
     vaccinated against HPV;
       Whereas chlamydia can lead to chronic pain, infertility, 
     and tubular pregnancies, which can affect a woman's health 
     and well-being throughout her lifetime;
       Whereas the harmful impact of STDs on infants leads to 
     long-term emotional suffering and stress for families;
       Whereas, unlike other diseases, STDs often cause stigma and 
     feelings of shame for patients diagnosed with those diseases;
       Whereas the Federal Government should help people protect 
     themselves against STDs by supplying them with information 
     about their options and funding screening and

[[Page S3600]]

     treatment services through a variety of programs, including 
     programs under title X of the Public Health Service Act (42 
     U.S.C. 300 et seq.) and the CDC's STD prevention program; and
       Whereas STD screening, vaccination, and other prevention 
     strategies for sexually active women should be among our 
     highest public health priorities: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) designates April 2008 as ``National STD Awareness 
     Month'';
       (2) requests 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 diseases (STDs) and protecting people of all 
     ages;
       (3) recognizes the human toll of the STD epidemic and makes 
     the prevention and cure of STDs a higher public health 
     priority; and
       (4) calls on all people in the United States to learn what 
     screenings are recommended for them and their families and to 
     seek appropriate care.

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