Pregnancies, STDs soar in West Texas

The incidence of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) among students of Midland Independent School District has risen sharply in recent months, according to CBS 7 News. Of pregnant teens in the district, nearly all have a sexual infection.

Of 126 pregnant teens in the Permian Basin area, 120 reportedly had an STD. Public health officials are now calling for more adolescent education on the risks of sexual contact, the news source reported.

In the U.S., approximately 4 percent of girls between the ages of 15 and 19 will give birth each year, according to the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy.

In particular, according Mathew Davis of the nonprofit Midland Life Center, "many of today's teens find themselves concerned with pregnancy as a main risk, when the truth is they're more likely to get an STD than get pregnant."

For anyone who is concerned about having an sexual infection, online testing services may provide valuable assistance while maintaining a high level of privacy.

More than 19 million new STD cases are reported every year, half of them among 15- to 24-year-olds, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports.