Epidemiological considerations of sexually transmitted diseases in underserved populations.

Although unexplained declines in the number of bacterial sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) are currently being documented on a national level, increasing rates among minority populations and among adolescents in general, present challenges for STD prevention and control. By contrast, little evidence has been presented to suggest declines in rates of incident viral STDs in any population. Unique approaches to prevention and control based on the epidemiological heterogenicity of STDs are discussed.