NEW YORK, Oct. 2 (Xinhua) -- Condom use is down among sexually active teens and young adults in the United States due to a combination of medical advancements like long-term birth control options and drugs that prevent sexually transmitted infections, a fading fear of contracting HIV, and widely varying levels of sex education, reported The Associated Press (AP) on Wednesday.
Fewer young people are having sex, but the teens and young adults who are sexually active aren't using condoms as regularly, if at all. And people ages 15 to 24 made up half of new chlamydia, gonorrhea and syphilis cases in 2022, according to the report.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) acknowledged that condoms are still an effective tool that can be used "alongside newer prevention strategies."
"We know that condom use has declined among some groups, but they still have an important role to play in STI prevention," Bradley Stoner, director of the CDC's Division of STD Prevention, was quoted as saying.
"Condoms can be accessed without navigating the health care system, can be used on-demand, are generally affordable and most importantly -- they are effective at preventing HIV and STIs when used consistently and correctly," he added.
