STDs occur in more than two-thirds of individuals 25 years of age or younger. The CDC estimates that one out of every five Americans has an STD and one in four individuals will contract an STD at some point in their lives. The most common types of STDs are chlamydia, gonorrhea, syphilis, herpes, HIV and genital warts. Even though these statistics affect the general population, the military community on Okinawa is not immune. Chlamydia, a bacterial infection, is the No. 1 sexually transmitted disease in the United States.
Most infected people have no symptoms.
Those who do may have burning during urination, discharge, abdominal pain, pain in testicles and fever. A medical provider can perform a culture for examination to detect chlamydia. If positive, treatment will consist of antibiotics and requires that both partners be treated simultaneously to prevent re-infection. Left untreated, chlamydia can lead to pelvic inflammatory disease in women and sterility in men and women. Gonorrhea, also a bacterial infection, can be spread from the genitals of one partner to the genitals, throat or rectum of the other partner.