Adolescence Living High Risk Acquiring a Sexually

¶ … Adolescence Living High Risk Acquiring a Sexually Transmitted Disease South Florida Sexually transmitted diseases represent an important topic when considering the south of Florida and adolescents there. The fact that there are hundreds of cases of STDs being diagnosed on a daily basis in Florida emphasizes the gravity of the issue and the fact that teenagers are exposed to a hostile environment when regarding matters from this perspective.

Numbers are not necessarily important when considering the group of individuals affected by STDs, especially considering that some are reluctant to see a doctor concerning their condition and others simply don't know that they have an STD. "Locally in Miami-Dade, 2010 brought another year of increases in all of the reportable STDs." (Saxon Jordhal) Syphilis and HIV are among the STDs that the authorities in South Florida currently treat with great caution.

Large amounts of funds are directed at researching these two maladies and at trying to raise public awareness concerning the dangers associated with getting into situations that increase one's likeliness to contract either.

"Alarming numbers like 1 in 4 teen aged girls having a Sexually Transmitted Disease (STD) emphasize the importance of educating our community on recognizing the signs and symptoms of the diseases and encouraging all to learn more about STDs." (SEXUALLY TRANSMITTED DISEASE -- AWARENESS CAN STOP THE TREND) The problem with adolescents is that they often tend to believe that they know it all and this makes it difficult for educational institutes to be able to put across messages with regard to sexually transmitted diseases effectively.

Sexuality is especially problematic when considering topics that the authorities typically take on as they try to connect with adolescents. This is because many are either hesitant about speaking about their sexual lives or because they simply believe that there is nothing else that they need to learn in addition to what they already know. South Florida is currently experiencing significant trouble as a result of the number of adolescents there who have a sexually transmitted disease.

"In the spring of 2008, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released startling data that 1 in 4 teenage girls in this country have a sexually transmitted disease (STD)." (School-based STD Screening Efforts in Miami-Dade County, Florida (NCSD Webinar)) The Miami Dade County Health Department and Miami Dade County Public Schools have joined forces with the purpose of fighting this problem and in order to have adolescents acknowledge the gravity of the situation.

Such actions have experienced great progress, but it is still difficult for the authorities to consider that they are triumphant in fighting the prevalence of STDs among adolescents (SEXUALLY TRANSMITTED DISEASE -- AWARENESS CAN STOP THE TREND) While the authorities have successfully devised methods to fight STDs among the general population, matters are more difficult when considering adolescents.

They respond to different stimuli and are in many cases unable to have a complex understanding with regard to the risks associated with getting involved in activities likely to get them an STD. While adolescents represent only a quarter of the sexually experienced population they seem to be the central characters in approximately half of the cases of STDs diagnosed.

"Compared with older adults, sexually active adolescents aged 15 -- 19 years and young adults aged 20 -- 24 years are at higher risk of acquiring STDs for a combination of behavioral, biological, and cultural reasons." (STDs in Adolescents and Young Adults) Conditions are critical in many of these cases because adolescents have lesser resources to effectively fight these maladies. They are reluctant to communicate with adults in their life because they are embarrassed and some are likely to aggravate their health condition as a result of ignoring the symptoms caused by the disease.

Living with an STD can be a devastating experience for many adolescents. The fact that others have trouble realizing the actual effects that bullying has on their peers means that they are unhesitant about making fun of colleagues who have STDs. This further aggravates the condition of adolescents with an STD, as they feel marginalized, both because of their condition and because of the fact that society employs harsh attitudes toward them.

Having an STD as an adolescent can thus be particularly difficult as the individual struggles to integrate the social order but is prevented to do so both because of his or her health condition and because his or her.