Medical experts worry about scarcity of new STD research

As a result of previous advancements in prevention and treatment methods for sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), healthcare officials have voiced their concern over the scarcity of new research. In order to continue to develop more accurate screenings and antiviral medications, including those for HIV and hepatitis C treatments, experts have emphasized a need for more STD studies.

During the annual meeting of the Society for Investigative Dermatology, Raymond Schinazi, a pediatrics professor at the Emory University School of Medicine, said that many of these trials have been halted. As a result, the spread of these diseases is still on the rise, according to ModernMedicine.com.

Schinazi stated that each year "more than 1 million people [are] infected with HIV in the United States." He added that medical statistics suggest that "more than 800,000 U.S. patients [will] develop HCV-related cirrhosis this decade."

Currently, there are only two medications that may protect people against hepatitis C and more than 24 drugs that help those who have contracted HIV. If research is stalled, those who are infected with hepatitis C or HIV will be susceptible to more severe health problems.

For example, liver damage caused by hepatitis C leads to between 8,000 and 10,000 deaths each year in the U.S., and this patient population accounts for more than 4,000 liver transplants done nationwide, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.