Scientists Using New Tactics To Curb STD Rates In U.S.

'PERSONAL GOAL': NIAID's Penelope Hitchcock would like home STD tests to be as convenient as home pregnancy tests. While great attention has been focused on development of better therapies for HIV, incidence rates of other sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) in the United States remain alarmingly high. Yet, as pointed out in an Institute of Medicine (IOM) report entitled The Hidden Epidemic: Confronting Sexually Transmitted Diseases (Washington, D.C., National Academy Press, 1997), the Americ

Written byMyrna Watanabe

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'PERSONAL GOAL': NIAID's Penelope Hitchcock would like home STD tests to be as convenient as home pregnancy tests.

While great attention has been focused on development of better therapies for HIV, incidence rates of other sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) in the United States remain alarmingly high. Yet, as pointed out in an Institute of Medicine (IOM) report entitled The Hidden Epidemic: Confronting Sexually Transmitted Diseases (Washington, D.C., National Academy Press, 1997), the American public's inability to face human sexuality and its consequences hampers STD prevention efforts. The report advocates the creation of a national system for preventing STDs; meanwhile, scientists and public health officials are working to make help more accessible to high-risk individuals. Their efforts are resulting in better detection methods, more therapies and cures, and improved public health measures to control the spread of STDs.

"Sexually transmitted disease rates in the United States are the highest in the ...

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