The latest data shows that for the second year in a row, the Baton Rouge metropolitan area ranked second in the nation in the rate of AIDS cases. New Orleans ranked ninth.
Nationally, Louisiana ranked fifth highest in AIDS case rates and 12th in the number of AIDS cases diagnosed in 2009, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 2009 HIV Surveillance Report.Louisiana has a significant problem with sexually transmitted diseases. The group affected -- and infected -- most are young people, ages 15 through 24.
Louisiana, in 2009, had the third-highest chlamydia case rate; the second-highest gonorrhea case rate -- twice as high as the national rate; and the highest rate of primary and secondary syphilis, according to the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals.
In Louisiana, people from ages 15 through 24 -- even though this age group makes up only 15 percent of Louisiana's population -- represented 71 percent of chlamydia cases, 63 percent of gonorrhea cases and 38 percent of syphilis cases.
This should sound the alarm to all young people who are sexually active, as well as every parent, guardian, physician, psychologist and educator. There is nothing normal about sexually active young people who appear to be ignorant of the dangers of unprotected sex, or simply in denial. Obviously, we have failed to educate this group sufficiently. The reality should push us past any debate about the need for age-appropriate sex education in public classrooms.
Every young person who has contracted one of the sexually transmitted diseases mentioned above also has run the risk of contracting HIV.
As of March 31, a total of 31,161 HIV/AIDS cases have been reported in Louisiana, including 317 pediatric cases, according to the Louisiana HIV/AIDS Surveillance Quarterly Report. Other details from the report include:
» The cumulative number of deaths among persons diagnosed with HIV/AIDS, reported to the Louisiana Office of Public Health through March 31, is 12,800 including 103 deaths among pediatric cases.
» A total of 18,540 persons are living with HIV/AIDS in Louisiana; of these individuals, 10,141 (55 percent) have an AIDS diagnosis.
» The primary risk factor for new HIV diagnoses in Louisiana is sexual transmission, heterosexual or homosexual. The secondary factor is injection drug use.
This tells us that young people and adults do not understand the dangers of unprotected sex. That must change.
Nationally, Louisiana ranked fifth highest in AIDS case rates and 12th in the number of AIDS cases diagnosed in 2009, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 2009 HIV Surveillance Report.Louisiana has a significant problem with sexually transmitted diseases. The group affected -- and infected -- most are young people, ages 15 through 24.
Louisiana, in 2009, had the third-highest chlamydia case rate; the second-highest gonorrhea case rate -- twice as high as the national rate; and the highest rate of primary and secondary syphilis, according to the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals.
In Louisiana, people from ages 15 through 24 -- even though this age group makes up only 15 percent of Louisiana's population -- represented 71 percent of chlamydia cases, 63 percent of gonorrhea cases and 38 percent of syphilis cases.
This should sound the alarm to all young people who are sexually active, as well as every parent, guardian, physician, psychologist and educator. There is nothing normal about sexually active young people who appear to be ignorant of the dangers of unprotected sex, or simply in denial. Obviously, we have failed to educate this group sufficiently. The reality should push us past any debate about the need for age-appropriate sex education in public classrooms.
Every young person who has contracted one of the sexually transmitted diseases mentioned above also has run the risk of contracting HIV.
» The cumulative number of deaths among persons diagnosed with HIV/AIDS, reported to the Louisiana Office of Public Health through March 31, is 12,800 including 103 deaths among pediatric cases.
» A total of 18,540 persons are living with HIV/AIDS in Louisiana; of these individuals, 10,141 (55 percent) have an AIDS diagnosis.
» The primary risk factor for new HIV diagnoses in Louisiana is sexual transmission, heterosexual or homosexual. The secondary factor is injection drug use.
This tells us that young people and adults do not understand the dangers of unprotected sex. That must change.
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