STI epidemic sparks health concerns
Thu 22 July 2010
Brooke Potter, Bachelor of Journalism
Health professionals are calling for more sexual health education, in response to the rising numbers of sexually-transmissible infections on the Sunshine Coast.
The Queensland Government has released the second National Sexually Transmissible Infections Strategy 2010–2013, showing sexually transmissible infections (STIs) have almost doubled from the 2004–2008 period, which the last strategy was based on.
Family Planning Queensland (FPQ) regional education officer Jo Stewart said it is extremely important to have good quality, comprehensive education in schools starting from a young age.
“Not specifically talking about STIs, obviously in very small children, but just setting the scene so that that information can be a part of their education as they move into upper primary and into high school,” Ms Stewart said.
“We don’t have comprehensive sexuality education in schools, so that’s a big issue.
“We say sexuality education, because we believe in a holistic approach to teaching about sexual health, so it’s not just about STIs or how to prevent pregnancies.
“It’s also about puberty, it’s about decision making and it’s about healthy relationships."
Ms Stewart said FPQ would also like to see students studying education and nursing degrees given additional sexual health information.
"They’re the people on the ground, they make the difference,” Ms Stewart said.
“We can’t possibly get to everybody, but they make a lot of difference.
“Nurses and teachers are in a great position to pass on the information.”
The National STI Strategy highly recommends ongoing and enhanced sexual education in schools, and any new developments in sex education to be included in the national curriculum.
Northcoast Women’s Health Centre nurse Wendy Stephenson said preventative measures and good clinic procedures could prevent high occurrences of STIs.
“I agree with...more focus on preventative measures, like using condoms for every sexual encounter,” Ms Stephenson said.
“But also helping people to understand that that doesn’t always give them...a guarantee that you are not going to get any sexually transmitted infections.
“Also encouraging people if they do have a mishap with a condom or something, to go and have a STI check just so that they don’t infect other partners.
“Those are diseases people can have for a while before they realise they have anything wrong with them and so they can inadvertently cause infections in other people.”
Ms Stephenson said one of the actions clinics can do is screen everyone in the at-risk age group, even if they are not presenting with symptoms.
“The other thing is good contact tracing so that if someone comes in and they are positive, that we follow that up really closely and encourage them to inform all their contacts,” Ms Stephenson said.
Ms Stephenson added people need to be encouraged not to be embarrassed about STIs, and to regard them as an illness rather than a stigma.
The National STI Strategy identified several priority populations within the community that are at greater risk of infection, including men who have sex with men, indigenous people and people aged between 20 and 29.
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