Yet Another Health-Care Woe: Boomers Getting the Clap

We’ve addressed the looming doctor shortage that could erupt into a full-fledged health-care crisis by the time all 78 million baby boomers reach 65. Now there’s yet another reason to start recruiting doctors fast: Those boomers are also contracting STDs at astounding rates. A new study shows that in the past 10 years infection rates for the over-40 set have skyrocketed, with cases of chlamydia, genital herpes, gonorrhea, syphilis, and genital warts among people over 45 increasing 127 percent between 1996 and 2003.

A host of factors, including high divorce rates, lack of safe-sex education, more sex for seniors, and outdated attitudes developed during the “free love” era are all to blame, but the results are no good news for a government that’s already set to break the bank on its disproportionately aging population. STDs, particularly HIV, cost money to treat, and our current health-care system is caught in enough of a spending spiral as it is.

Though perhaps one good thing will come of this: Maybe now we can finally quit preaching abstinence.

July 9th, 2008 by Melissa Lafsky in Health Care | 2 comments | RSS feed | Trackback >

2 Responses to “Yet Another Health-Care Woe: Boomers Getting the Clap”

  1. The Meds Made Me Do It! Drug Side Effects Include Gambling, Risky Sex | Reality Base | Discover Magazine Says:

    […] by a drunk driver on the drug, or an STD spike as a result of risky sexual practices (which are already on the rise among seniors, the demographic most likely to be taking meds for Parkinson’s and […]

  2. Always use a condom! - TeakDoor.com - The Thailand Forum Says:

    […] diseases (STDs) are on the rise in the U.S., to the point where even senior citizens are seeing upswings in infections. But STDs also occur throughout the animal kingdom, in species from mammals to insects to birds. […]

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