Medical professionals stress importance of HIV testing in teenagers

Despite recommendations by public health organizations to begin testing teenagers for sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) at age 13 years, experts have found that many physicians are not making this preventative measure part of regular check-ups.

Because teenagers are considered a high-risk population in regards to contracting STDs, federal health agencies, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), have encouraged doctors to give their young patients the option to be tested for HIV during annual exams, according to KansasCity.com.

As more of these individuals continue to have unprotected sex and are unaware that they have an STD, the number of cases will continue to grow nationwide. Researchers are also finding that teenagers are contracting HIV at an earlier age, but discovering they have the disease later in life, which often results in their being too sick for treatments to be effective, the news source reports.

In fact, in 2006, approximately 14 percent of people aged 13 to 24 years tested positive for HIV, according to the CDC.

Teenagers who have unprotected sex could be putting themselves and their partners at a higher risk of contracting an STD. Individuals who are concerned about their health, but are uncomfortable with seeing their doctor, can benefit from purchasing online testing kits.