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In the U.S., 26% of girls aged 14 to 19 — 3.2 million girls — have at least one sexually transmitted infection (STI). This sobering figure is based on data from 838 adolescent girls who underwent STI testing in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2003–2004. Study results were presented at the CDC’s 2008 National STD Prevention Conference.
Overall, 18.3% of adolescent girls tested positive for human papillomavirus, 3.9% for chlamydia, 2.5% for trichomoniasis, and 1.9% for herpes simplex virus type 2; 15% had more than one STI. Girls reporting only one lifetime partner had an STI prevalence of 20.4%; among those reporting three or more partners, prevalence was >50%. Black teens had the highest STI prevalence (48%); pr…