Over 10,000 Teens Suffer From Venereal Diseases

The number of teenagers with venereal diseases exceeded 10,000 last year, a report revealed Monday.

According to the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Family Affairs, more than 10,000 teenagers have been annually reported to suffer from venereal diseases ― 14,779 in 2002, 12,128 in 2003 and 10,069 in 2004. The number fell to 8,204 in 2005 and 8,097 in 2006 before jumping to 12,071 in 2007.

Rep. Jeon Hyun-heui of the opposition Democratic Party, who made the data public, said teenagers are more vulnerable to the risks of the diseases as they find it harder to go to hospital.

``Teenagers lack the ability to recognize if they are infected and even if they learn about the infection, they are reluctant to consult a doctor,'' the lawmaker said.

The most common disease is gonorrhea, making up 46 percent of the total cases, followed by other diseases such as condyloma accuminata, genital herpes and chlamydia.