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For a small state with no major metropolitan areas, Delaware has unusually high rates for HIV and STIs. Researchers do not completely understand Delaware’s epidemic, but speculate that inadequate care for HIV positive prisoners, and traffic (including drug traffic) along the interstate between Washington DC, Baltimore, Philadelphia, and New York, may account for the problem.
Sex Education Policy
Delaware requires sex education for young people. While Delaware law requires that this education stress abstinence, it does not specifically require that students receive information about condoms and contraception. See Delaware legal statutes governing sex education
Health Outcomes
Delaware has higher than average rates of teen pregnancy and STIs and the 5th highest AIDS rate in the nation.
Sexual Health Stats at a Glance
|
Teen Pregnancy Rate* |
Teen Birth Rate* |
Annual rate of AIDS Diagnoses (per 100,000 people) |
STI Rate+ |
% of high school students who did not use a condom at last sex |
| Delaware |
83 |
35.4 |
18 |
114.1 |
35 |
| National |
70 |
39.1 |
11.2 |
100.8 |
39 |
*Per 1000 young women ages 15-19
+Because of concern over recent changes in Chlamydia reporting and relative low incidence of syphilis, we used the state's gonorrhea rate as a stand-in for sexually transmitted infection rates.
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