While the teen abstinence has increased since 2010, the sexually transmitted infection (STI) rate has also significantly increased, according to a study by the National Center for Health Statistics.

                The amount of teens 15- 18 remaining abstinent increased to 58 percent from 45 percent. Despite that, the amount of STIs has also increased because of unsafe sexual practices, according to the study.

                Many clinics believe the issue is improper education on how and where STIs can be contracted, specifically with oral sex.

                “We are seeing more STIs in areas people would not assume,” Mike Austin, a doctor at a Lake County based STI clinic, said. “Many of the teens that come in are having infections in the throat, most likely because they did not realize the dangers of oral sex.”

                In fact, over one fifth teens do not realize oral sex has the same risks as conventional intercourse, and 48 percent of teenage boys and 45 percent of teenage girls have oral sex.

                “While the rate of oral sex has decreased [nationally and locally], in the Chicagoland area, we have seen an increase in the amount of teens with STI’s,” Austin said.

                Chicago and the Chicagoland area have the highest STI rate in the country, with 34,000 reported cases of chlamydia annually, and 13,000 cases of Gonorrhea cases, according to the Illinois Department of Dealth’s website.