Report: Fewer Wisconsin teens are sexually active

MADISON, Wis. — A newly released survey shows fewer Wisconsin high school students say they are sexually active, but the rates of sexually transmitted diseases have been on the rise.

Wisconsin Public Radio reports that the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction found that about 34 percent of high school students in Wisconsin reported having sex last year, down from 47 percent in 1993. Those students also reported having fewer partners.

The Wisconsin Department of Health Services says sexually transmitted diseases among 15 to 19 year olds are rising. There were about 9,000 cases of chlamydia, gonorrhea and syphilis in the state in 2016, up from about 8,000 in 2013.

Anthony Harris, program coordinator of a condom distribution project in Milwaukee, says a lack of resources and stigma likely contributes to rising STD rates.