What are the economic costs of STDs in the United States?
STDs are associated with both direct and indirect costs. Direct costs include expenditures for medical and non-medical services and materials, such as physician services, laboratory services, hospitalization, transportation, and medical supplies. Indirect costs mainly include lost wages due to illness or premature death. STDs also result in intangible costs related to pain, suffering, and diminished quality of life. In 1994, the direct and indirect costs of the major STDs and their complications were estimated to total almost $17 billion annually.
