Give three reasons why the spread of STDs has been called a hidden epidemic.?

Answer 1

STDs unlike drug use, has been called hidden because you cannot just look at someone and know they have an STD. People do not get treated for STDs and then go give big speeches about how they used to have it and how they got cured. Many people have an STD and do not even know it. You cannot be ordered by the court to take an STD test like you can with drugs, therefore reporting on the number of cases is lower than the actual number of people who are carriers. Many symptoms of STDs are unseen and often not even felt, one such disease is HPV. Unless the person develops genital warts, she will not know she has it until a pap test is done. There are many reasons, I got the ball rolling, now I think you can come up with many, many more on your own.

Answer 2

2

Answer 3

First, people can be carriers and not know it.
Second, some people can have the disease but not have symptoms.
Third, individuals can transmit to others because they are unaware they even have an STD, don't realize they are in an active phase of the disease (e.g. genital warts and herpes), or don't care about their partner and have unprotected sex placing them at risk.
Fourth, people are very often embarrassed about STDs and don't seek help or disclose the situation even to medical professionals due to that embarrassment factor.