CDC: U.S. STD's remain unacceptably high

ATLANTA, March 8 (UPI) -- The United States suffers high rates of herpes, particularly among women and African-Americans, health officials said.

More than 750 public health leaders convened in Atlanta Monday for the three-day National Sexually Transmitted Disease Prevention Conference featuring more than 300 studies.

Dr. Kevin Fenton of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said several studies provide additional evidence of what works to reduce the spread of sexually transmitted diseases, including retesting for Chlamydia after initial treatment to monitor for repeat infections.

Other studies provide new insights into socioeconomic and other factors that contribute to STD disparities, including lack of access to healthcare, racial discrimination and misinformation about STDs, Fenton said.

"As the studies presented at this conference show, the disparities in STD rates among women, African-Americans, and gay and bisexual men remain stark," Fenton, director of CDC's National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD and TB Prevention, said in a statement. "Given everything we know about how to prevent, diagnose and treat STDs, it is unacceptable that STDs remain such a widespread public health problem in the United States today."