According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, nearly half of all high school students have engaged in sexual intercourse. Not surprisingly, sexually transmitted diseases are a growing problem among teenagers—three million teens are infected with an STD each year. Although AIDS often gets the most attention, other STDs are considerably more common among teenagers, in particular gonorrhea. Gonorrhea, which is marked by a pus-like discharge from the cervix or penis, can be treated with penicillin or other antibiotics. If left untreated, the infection can spread into the testicles, causing sterility, or into the uterus and Fallopian tubes, leading to pelvic inflammatory disease. Gonorrhea can also infect the pharynx, or the upper part of the throat.

In its “Trends in STDs in the United States, 2000” the CDC reports that the incidence of gonorrhea among women...