Are you a sexually active person? If so, we challenge you--right here, right now--to test your knowledge about sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). Take this short, simple quiz. You can't fail. (We'll even sneak you the answers.) Ready? Begin:

Q: Do you currently have an STD? (A: Maybe. One in every five people in the U.S. do.)

Q: Will you ever get an STD? (A: Maybe. One in every four people in the U.S. will.)

Q: Would you be able to tell if you had an STD? (A: Maybe not. Many STDs can be silent, producing no symptoms in the infected person but remaining contagious to his or her sex partners.)

So! How'd you do? Did you get all three? We thought you would. And now that you've proved you know the real truth about STDs, we have a final question--sort of an extra credit question. Answer this one correctly and go to the head of the class:

Q: Knowing what you know about the risk of sexually transmitted infection, as a sexually active person, what are you going to do about it? (Psst... the correct answer here is "Observe safer-sex practices and talk to my healthcare provider about regular STD testing.")

The Hidden Epidemic

You may find it hard to believe, but one in every five adults in the U.S. has, at this very moment, some form of sexually transmitted infection. Sixty-six percent of those infected are under the age of 26 (i.e., more likely to be sexually active and nonmonogamous than, say, your average 50-year old and, therefore, more likely to be "spreading it around").

This year alone, an estimated 15 million people in the U.S. will be newly infected with an STD, and 25% of them (3,750,000) will be under the age of 18. How can this be true? Well, we call STDs a hidden epidemic because in many cases the infection produces either no symptoms or symptoms so mild they are overlooked or ignored. But these so-called silent infections are generally just as contagious as the "raging" ones. So a person can be going through life blithely infecting every one of his or her sex partners with one or more STDs and never realize it.

April is STD Awareness Month

"Getting tested for STDs is critical for every sexually active person in this country," says Linda Alexander, president and CEO of the American Social Health Association (ASHA). "Every individual who has sexual relationships could be at risk for getting an STD. A test from your healthcare provider or local health clinic may be the only way to tell for sure if you're infected. Because so many people have not been tested for STDs and do not know that they have an STD, sexually active people must take steps to protect themselves." She adds, "It is dangerous to think that you can tell whether someone has an STD simply by looking at a potential partner."

Throughout the month of April, ASHA will post information about STDs and the need for testing on its main Web site (www.ashastd.org) and on its Web site that targets teens and young adults, (www.iwannaknow.org). In addition, ASHA will run public service announcements about getting tested for STDs on radio stations that target young women and men. The campaign will highlight the CDC National STD and AIDS Hotlines at 1-800-342-2437 and 1-800-227-8922. Both hotlines are open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. A hotline in Spanish, (1-800-344-7432) is open from 8 am to 2 am, Eastern Time, seven days a week. TTY users can get information from 10 am to 10 pm, Eastern Time, Monday through Friday at 1-800-243-7889. Free information can be obtained from any of the services.

What's Your Next Move?

Testing may be unnecessary for some people. If you and your partner have only been sexually active in your current, mutually monogamous relationship, you don't need to be tested for STDs. If you are in a mutually monogamous relationship but were sexually active before this relationship, you need to talk to your healthcare provider about one-time STD testing, and this applies to your partner as well. If you are a sexually active person and ARE NOT in a mutually monogamous relationship, you need to talk to your healthcare provider about regular STD testing.