April 7, 2011

As Syphilis, Gonorrhea Spike Among Philly Teens, so Does HIV Risk

Philadelphia teenagers who had a sexually transmitted infection (STI) are at 2.5 or 3 times greater risk for contracting HIV, according to a city health department analysis in the Philadelphia Inquirer. Nearly 33 percent of girls and 12 percent of boys test positive for a sexually transmitted infection (STI) while in high school, making the boys 2.5 times more likely to contract HIV within a few years and the girls 3 times more likely compared with those who don’t contract an STI. Little research as been conducted on an STD-HIV connection in teenagers, but open sores from syphilis and inflammation due to STIs make HIV transmission easier. In Philadelphia, syphilis cases spiked 45 percent in 2009, and gonorrhea jumped 36 percent in 2010.

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