With STD's on the rise, the advice is: get tested

The U.S. has the highest rate of Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STDs) in the industrialized world, with more than 65 million people infected. 19 million new cases of STDs are diagnosed every year. 1 in 4 teens contracts an STD each year.n 1 in 2 sexually active persons will contract an STD by age 25. More than $15.3 billion is spent each year to diagnose and treat STDs, excluding HIV. Nearly 1.2 million people are estimated to have HIV, and 25 percent are unaware of their infection. 50 percent of the population will likely have an STD at some point in their lifetime. STDs and HIV are preventable. To read the complete story see Saturday's Republican-American or our electronic edition at http://republicanamerican.ct.newsmemory.com.