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[Congressional Bills 110th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 542 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

110th CONGRESS
  2d Session
S. RES. 542

      Designating April 2008 as ``National STD Awareness Month''.

_______________________________________________________________________

                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             April 30, 2008

 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

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION

 
      Designating April 2008 as ``National STD Awareness Month''.

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 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.
                                 <all>
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