| By: John Trout
Many
middle-aged and older adults feel
they are somehow immune to
sexually transmitted diseases just
because of there age. However
studies show that an increasing
number of older adults are
contracting sexually transmitted
infections, including HIV, herpes,
syphilis, chlamydia and gonorrhea
at a rate that rivals or sometimes
exceeds other age groups.
According
to published statistics from the
Center for Disease Control (CDC)
in 2003, newly diagnosed cases of
Aids in adults between the ages of
45 to 54 was 10,051. This actually
exceeds the number of newly
diagnosed cases of Aids in younger
adults between the ages of 25 to
34, which was 9,605. The news for
adults between the ages of 35 to
44 is even worse, where a
staggering 17,633 newly diagnosed
cases of Aids were recorded in
2003, the highest rate of any age
group.
Statistics
on the number of cases of herpes
by age group are not available,
however, it is widely accepted
that 1 in 5 adults has contracted
or will contract some form of the
herpes virus during there life
time. This would include oral
herpes (HSv1) and/or genital
herpes (HSV2), both of which can
be transferred during risky sexual
behavior.
Between
1995 and 2003, new cases of
syphilis increased by 275 percent
in middle-aged and older adults,
chlamydia by 175 percent and
gonorrhea by 254 percent.
Middle-aged and older adults often
contract an STD infection through
unprotected heterosexual sex with
new partners that are also in
their same age group. The risk of
contracting an STD may even be
increase for middle-aged and older
adults due to the combination of
denial, secrecy and their age.
When they indulge in risky sexual
behavior they often do so with the
false belief that, at their age,
they are at very low risk or even
immune to STDs. In fact, there age
may actually put them at greater
risk due to physiological changes
such as the gradual decline in
immune function and the presence
of other diseases.
Once
infected, middle-aged and older
adults often wait a long time
before seeking medical advice,
increasing the chances of passing
on their STD to another partner.
Studies have shown that more than
80 percent of adults over 50 are
sexually active, while 7 percent
engaged in risky sex. The
assumption about older women in
particular has long been that if
they are sexually active they are
in low-risk monogamous
heterosexual relationships.
Reality is that due to divorce,
death of a spouse or even unhappy
marital relations, many women are
also initiating new sexual
relationships and, as pregnancy is
not an issue, many do not use
condoms. However, the greatest
risk-takers among mid-aged and
older adults are married males
between the ages of 50 and 60.
In
this current era of mass messages
about practicing safer sex, much
attention has been focused on the
rising rates of STD's among the
young and young adults.
Middle-aged and older adults have
largely been ignored within the
field of sexual health and they
are often omitted from STD
prevention programs altogether.
However it has become increasingly
important to include this
generation in the discussion
because, contrary to popular
belief, the statistic show that
chlamydia, herpes, genital warts,
gonorrhea and even HIV are not
uncommon among people aged 45 to
64.
This
article is part of a free
educational series of articles
written by John Trout, on the
subject of the herpes virus. To
get the complete series, simply
send a blank email to: herpes@newsabout.info
Article
Source: http://www.herpes-pics.com/
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including: http://herbs-herbal-remedies.com
, http://newsabout.info
and http://herpes-pics.com
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