OTTAWA, Aug 21, 2001 (LSN.ca) – The Canadian Journal of Human Sexuality (Aug 17, 2001) reports that the rates of chlamydia, gonorrhea, syphilis, herpes and human papillomavirus are soaring, with teens 15-19 suffering the highest infection rates.
Among teenage girls, the chlamydia rate is 1,200 per 100,000, and the rate is 212 per 100,000 for teenage boys, or six times the rate among the general population. The Globe and Mail reports that among those 15-19 the rate of gonorrhea is about three times that of the general population, with a rate of 95 per 100,000 for teenage girls and 40 per 100,000 for teenage boys. Syphilis infections have also increased, and 42,000 young women between 15 and 19 become pregnant each year in Canada.
While the journal suggests that more sex education is needed, numerous studies in America have shown that while graphic sex education has done little to stem sexually transmitted diseases (some studies suggest it increases them), abstinence-only education has produced impressive results.