Collectively as a nation, the United State has reached record highs in the reported number of STD infections. Year after year we keep beating ourselves and the number is constantly spiking. Despite the constant increase, funding to help prevent STDs has decreased by around 40 percent since 2003. Though this is a problem that anyone could be impacted by, African Americans are impacted the most out of all ethnic groups. It has been shown that Blacks also have the highest poverty rate which can be found to directly correlate with the STD levels. Due to the lower income levels, Blacks are less able to afford proper sexual healthcare services and are therefore more susceptible to not getting treated, and passing it on. It is hard for us as individuals to make a large scale impact when it comes to changing things like this, but it is still possible. We can start by taking more precautions in our everyday lives. For example, it is important to practice safe sex if you decide that the time is right, and always make sure you get tested and have your partner tested too. Many people don’t know until it is too late and they have already passed it on. We could also petition to the government to have them spend more money to fund the prevention and treatment of STDs. Having more funds would lead easier access to care for many people who could not traditionally afford it. It all starts on the individual level though, so we should all remember to be safe so that we don’t have to become a part of the statistics.