STD Awareness Month––recognized and supported annually by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)––aims to encourage awareness of how sexually transmitted infections (STIs) such as HIV/AIDS, chlamydia and gonorrhea affect public health.

The campaign also stresses the importance of starting a sexual health dialogue with health care providers and sexual partners.

The CDC estimates that about 19 million new STIs are diagnosed each year. Of these, 50 percent occur among people ages 15 to 24.

Click here to visit the CDC’s STD Awareness Month website.