,,iv  #aacth ,,congress  #ast ,session  
,h4 ,,res4 #aib  ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of
 ,,representatives  ,april #bf1 #bjac   
,ms4 ,lee of ,california 7for herself1  
,mr4 ,rangel1 ,ms4 ,norton1 ,ms4        
,clarke1 ,mrs4 ,christensen1 ,ms4       
,schakowsky1 and ,mr4 ,mc,govern7       
submitted the following resolution2     
which was referred to the ,committee on 
,energy and ,commerce  ,,resolution     
,supporting the goals and ideals of     
,national ,,std ,awareness ,month4      
,whereas sexually transmitted infections
 7,s,t,is7 7also known as sexually      
transmitted diseases1 or ,s,t,ds7 are a 
major public health challenge that pose 
a significant burden in the ,united     
,states both in economic and human      
terms2 ,whereas the ,united ,states has 
the highest rate of ,s,t,is in the      
industrialized world1 with an estimated 
#bj1jjj1jjj new cases occurring each    
year1 and almost half of those          
infections occurring in young people    
between the ages of #ae to #bd2 ,whereas

 all people in the ,united ,states have 
an interest in ,s,t,is because every    
community is impacted and everyone pays 
for the cost of these infections1 either
 directly or indirectly2 ,whereas1      
according to the ,centers for ,disease  
,control and ,prevention 7,,cdc71       
,s,t,is impose a tremendous economic    
burden on the ,united ,states1 with     
direct medical costs as high as         
#ag1jjj1jjj1jjj per year2 ,whereas the  
,,cdc estimates that rates of ,chlamydia
 infection among adolescents increased  
from #bjaj to #bjaa1 especially among   
adolescents between the ages of #bj and 
#bd2 ,whereas in #bjaa1 the rate of     
,chlamydia among ,african-,american     
females between the ages of #ae and #ai 
was almost #f times that of their ,white
 counterparts2 ,whereas in #bjaj1 ,,cdc 
data indicated that #a in #f people in  
the ,united ,states between the ages of 
#ad and #di years old were infected with
 the ,herpes ,simplex virus ,type #b1 a 
lifelong and incurable infection1 and   

that ,african-,american women #ad to #di
 years old were the most affected group1
 with a prevalence rate of #dh percent2 
,whereas poverty and lack of access to  
quality health care exacerbate the rate 
of infection with the human             
immunodeficiency virus 7,,hiv7 and other
 ,s,t,is2 ,whereas men who have sex with
 men 7,,msm7 continue to be             
disproportionately impacted by ,s,t,is1 
accounting for #gb percent of all       
syphilis cases in #bjaa as compared to  
only #d percent of such cases in #bjjj2 
,whereas racial disparities in rates of 
,s,t,is are among the worst health      
disparities in the ,nation for any      
health condition2 ,whereas most ,s,t,is 
have been associated with increased risk
 of ,,hiv transmission and are likely   
contributing to the ongoing ,,hiv       
epidemic in the ,united ,states2        
,whereas the ,,cdc also reports that the
 two most common ,s,t,is among young    
women are ,,hpv1 with #ah percent       
infected1 and ,chlamydia1 with #f       

percent of young women between the ages 
of #ae and #ai infected2 ,whereas the   
long-term health effects of these       
,s,t,is are especially severe for women 
and include infertility and cervical    
cancer2 ,whereas vaccination1 screening1
 and early treatment can prevent some of
 the most devastating effects of        
,s,t,is2 ,whereas high ,,sti infection  
rates in the ,united ,states demonstrate
 the need for better ways to reach those
 most at risk of infection2 ,whereas the
 ,,cdc recommends annual ,chlamydia     
screenings for sexually active women #be
 years of age and younger2 ,whereas the 
,,cdc also recommends ,,hpv vaccination 
for girls1 boys and young women between 
the ages of #aa and #ba for men and #bf 
for women1 as well as anyone who is     
immunocompromised 7including living with
 ,,hiv_/,,aids7 until age #bf2 ,whereas 
the ,,cdc recommends screening for      
,,hiv1 syphilis1 ,chlamydia1 and        
gonorrhea at least once a year for all  
sexually active ,,msm2 ,whereas         

,chlamydia can lead to pelvic           
inflammatory disease1 chronic pelvic    
pain1 infertility1 and tubular          
pregnancies1 which can affect a woman's 
health and well-being throughout her    
lifetime2 ,whereas ,s,t,is1 including   
,,hiv_/,,aids1 can be transmitted from  
infected mothers to infants during      
childbirth and can cause severe health  
consequences in these infants2 ,whereas 
,s,t,is often cause social stigma and   
may have a serious psychological impact 
among those who are infected2 ,whereas  
programs that provide comprehensive and 
medically accurate health information   
and screening and treatment services can
 help people protect themselves against 
,s,t,is1 including through a variety of 
,federal programs such as ,title ,x of  
the ,public ,health ,service ,act and   
the ,,cdc's ,,std prevention programs2  
,whereas school-based ,,sti screening   
programs have been highly successful    
where implemented and are effective at  
preventing the spread of ,s,t,is among  

adolescents2 ,whereas the sexual and    
reproductive health needs of men must be
 more thoroughly recognized and better  
addressed by the public health and      
medical provider community in order to  
more effectively combat the spread of   
,s,t,is2 ,whereas ,,std programs in     
,state and local health departments that
 are funded through the ,,cdc's         
,division of ,,std ,prevention are the  
,nation's frontline defense against the 
spread of ,s,t,is2 ,whereas ,,sti       
screening1 vaccination1 and other       
prevention strategies for sexually      
active women should be among the highest
 public health priorities2 and ,whereas 
the ,,cdc observes ,april as ,national  
,,std ,awareness ,month3 ,now1          
therefore1 be it  ,that the ,house of   
,representatives--  7#a7 supports the   
goals and ideals of ,national ,,std     
,awareness ,month2  7#b7 encourages the 
,federal ,government1 ,states1          
localities1 and nonprofit organizations 
to observe the month with appropriate   

programs and activities1 with the goal  
of increasing public knowledge of the   
risks of sexually transmitted infections
 7,s,t,is7 and protecting people of all 
ages2  7#c7 recognizes the human toll of
 ,s,t,is and the importance of making   
the prevention1 diagnosis1 and treatment
 of ,s,t,is an urgent public health     
priority2 and  7#d7 calls on all people 
in the ,united ,states to learn about   
,s,t,is and the prevention approaches   
recommended for them and encourages all 
sexually active individuals to get      
tested for ,s,t,is and to seek          
appropriate care if they are infected4