STD testing especially important for college students

It's back-to-campus time, and for college students this means making sure that they are practicing safe sex and doing all they can to avoid developing a sexually transmitted disease (STD). The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that this population has an extremely high risk of contracting these infections, and that students need to be tested more often. 

The CDC says that of the 19 million STDs diagnosed each year, over half are attributed to people between the ages of 15 and 24. Many of these young individuals do not get tested because they are embarrassed or unaware of where to go to receive advice on their sexual health. Luckily, there are many online STD testing services that can offer students effective services without having to go to their family or campus physician.

Many STDs (almost 80 percent) come with little to no symptoms. This means that someone can be infected and at risk of spreading disease and not even know it. This is one of the many reasons why it's important to get tested regularly depending on sexual activity, even if there are no signs of an STD present.