By Dr. Kevin Fenton, director of the Center for Disease Control and Prevention's Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD and TB Prevention

Every April, the United States observes National Sexually Transmitted Disease (STD) Awareness Month. While frank discussions about STDs among policymakers, partners and families are not always easy, STDs are a threat much too serious to ignore – particularly for African Americans.

The CDC estimates that roughly 19 million new STD infections occur each year in the United States. Of all the races and ethnicities, African Americans continue to bear the greatest burden of disease. Blacks represent 12 percent of the U.S. population yet accounted for almost half of the chlamydia cases and a staggering 70 percent of gonorrhea cases reported in 2007.

Chlamydia and gonorrhea are the most commonly reported STDs that take an especially heavy toll on young black women. Left untreated, chlamydia and gonorrhea are also among the most serious and preventable threats to women's fertility, and rates of both diseases are highest among black females 15 to 19 years old.

Reducing the disproportionate toll of STDs among African Americans will require all of us -- policymakers, health care providers and affected communities -- to recognize and address the range of contributing factors. We must work together to intensify efforts to reach our communities with needed screening and treatment services to prevent serious and long-term health threats.

Because many infections have no symptoms, those at risk need to get tested. STD Awareness Month is an opportune time to remind health care providers to take a sexual health history of their patients and follow up with appropriate counseling, vaccination, testing, and, if needed, treatment for STDs. Additionally, there are many actions that people within our community can take to protect themselves from STDs and their consequences, including:

• Abstinence and reducing the number of sex partners: The most reliable ways to avoid infection from an STD are to abstain from sex or to be in a long-term mutually monogamous relationship with an uninfected partner.

• Correct and consistent use of condoms: Consistent and correct use of the male latex condom reduces the risk of HIV and other STD transmission.

• Screening: Testing and knowledge of infection are vital to reducing the continued consequences of STDs. Though most STDs can be easily diagnosed and treated, many cases go undetected because they have no noticeable symptoms. The CDC recommends:

• Annual chlamydia screening for all sexually active women under age 26, as well as older women with risk factors such as new or multiple sex partners

• At least annual screening for syphilis, chlamydia, gonorrhea and HIV for all sexually active gay and bisexual men

• Syphilis screening for all pregnant women during the early stages of pregnancy, to protect the health of the mother and prevent transmission to infants

• Immunizations: Vaccines are available for the prevention of two common sexually transmitted viral infections: hepatitis B and human papillomavirus (HPV). Receiving recommended hepatitis B and HPV immunizations can almost completely prevent these infections.

By requesting these screening tests as part of their routine health care services, sexually active African Americans can help ensure that these easily treatable diseases do not damage their health or that of their partners and children. The CDC also recommends voluntary HIV screening for every person age 13–64 regardless of risk. Those at high risk for HIV infection should be screened for HIV at least annually.

For more information about STD prevention, including the CDC's STD screening recommendations and treatment guidelines, visit www.cdc.gov/std or call 1-800-CDC-INFO.

STD Awareness Month provides an opportunity for all of us to step outside of our personal comfort zones – no matter how difficult it may be – and talk openly with our children, friends and family about STDs and how to prevent them. The health of our communities depends on it.

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