Health
Sexual Transmitted Disease still a concern among seniors
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By ZHAO PENG
Capital News Service
LANSING — Sexuality is a sensitive word, especially when it’s brought up with the word aging. Surveys shows that people over 65 still have sex, and their rate of them contracting sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) is increasing nationally, according to a 2013 survey by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The survey shows that 892,200 Americans older than 65 had chlamydia, 216,100 had gonorrhea and 12,000 had syphilis. “Our culture tends to stop thinking of older people as sexual beings somewhere along the line,” said Rachel Dewees, director of the Turner Senior Wellness Program at the University of Michigan. “This is simply not true.