- 1,000 new HIV cases in Australia every year
- Chlamydia cases rise to 60,000 between 2004 and 2008
- Young people aged between 20 and 29 at highest risk
The sharp increase in sexually transmitted diseases signals the potential of a new wave of HIV cases. Many young people today cannot remember the shocking Grim Reaper ads of 23 years ago which brought the dangers of HIV into everyone’s attention.
On 27 May two strategies were launched:
- The Sixth National HIV Strategy, and the updated
- National Strategies for combating Sexually-Transmissible Infections (STIs) and HIV.
“High priorities for the Ministerial Advisory Council will include devising responses to emerging threats such as those faced by Australians traveling overseas and those indigenous communities where increased injecting drug use is an issue” said Dr Brown, The Australian Federation of AIDS Organisations (AFAO) President.
Dr Brown added that “the strategies were developed in a spirit of cooperation with significant contributions from community stakeholders, research organisations, medical professionals and state and territory health departments.”
The five strategies are:
- The Sixth National HIV Strategy
- The First National Hepatitis B Strategy
- The Second National Sexually Transmissible Infections Strategy
- The Third National Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) Strategy, and
- The Third National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Blood Borne Viruses and Sexually Transmissible Infections Strategy.
“The concern is that if we see a condition like Chlamydia on the rise, that indicates that there’s a lot of unsafe sexual practices occurring and of course that sets up an environment where HIV transmission can increase as well” said Professor Michael Kidd who chaired a ministerial advisory group on sexual disease strategies.
“That’s one of the grave concerns,” he added.
This increase in the number of cases of Chlamydia raises concerns because it indicates that young people are not following the government’s safe sex campaigns. It is hoped that the new messages being sent out across social media networks will prove more effective as they will directly reach the young people who use them and who are most at risk.
“We know that as a nation we seriously under-do prevention,” said Mr Butler, Parliamentary Secretary for Health.
Men who have sex with other men remain the highest risk group for contracting HIV, which Mr Butler said is now a “chronic disease”.
Writer Helen Splarn. Editor Dr Ramesh Manocha.
There are no ‘safe’ sex practises!! Only ‘safer’ sex practises. It’s about time the messages for prevention were factual. The First National Sexually Transmissible Infections Prevention Strategy was seriously misleading and inaccurate in a number of ways. Our youth deserve the truth, and it’s frightening enough now to effect their decision making about their level of sexual activity. Everyone agrees (including the policy of the Department of Education and Childrens Services) that children should not be having sex, they are too irresponsible. So all messages to our youth should be addressed from that perspective, along with factual information about the serious physical AND emotional risks associated with sexual intimacy. ie condoms offer very LITTLE protection against viral STIs, the failure rate with ‘common’ use of the Pill is actually 8% (WHO)…. Yes some of our youth will have sex, (why wouldn’t they when ALL the media message suggests they will/ought to), but the facts are that currently only half ARE having sex by age 17/18 (yr 12), so lets try to minimise that, not accomodate or enable it!
Comprehensive sexual health education, included as part of the new National Carriculum must surely be the beginnings of helping our young make informed choices regarding their sexual health/relationships.
Puberty information is vital from grade 4 onwards and from year 7 cross carriculum sexual health, contraception, healthy relationships and lifeskills.
Juli,
What a great message! I agree wholeheartedly. As a parent and as a GP in women’s health/sexual health. The so called strategies are indeed harm minimisation bids and not “safe” at all. The same message has been promoted for decades, there is nothing new or complicated about the “safer” sex message, and yet, the message has failed dismally to reach the hearts and minds of our young people as demonstrated by continuing rising rates of chlamydia and other STI’s. My patient today has had two episodes of chlamydia and high grade cervical abnormalities from HPV infection
(two STDs for the price of one!) resulting in several colposcopies/procedures to remove the abnormality. She now also has chronic pelvic pain and infertility from her chlamydia, even after extensive surgical division of pelvic scarring and she’s only 21 years old. She contracted her first chlamydia infection when she was 14 years of age. What a great way to start her young life. And the message she got at school- use condoms!
The message we should be sending out loud and clear as a country is delay sexual intercourse for as long as possible and preferably aim for one life long partnership with someone who is also aiming for the same thing. Your risk of STIs will then be zero! This is medical fact not just “prudish” or “religious babble”. May there be many more of us speaking out on this issue or we will have a generation of physically and emotionally scarred people.
Well said Juli.
With a bit of research, you can find reliable data which points to the fact that the natural pores in an ‘intact’ latex condom are actually many times larger than the size of a HIV virus. Many years ago, I found myself being asked to leave a senior highschool student excursion at a public hospital, for no other reason than I had dared to raise this issue with students/staff at the school.
The greatest casuality of harm minimization has been the truth – our young people deserve at least that, so they can make an informed decision. There is no condom that will ever protect a broken heart & the social/emotional struggles that go with it.
I agree with Juli and Effie! When will those responsible for policy realise that the message of ‘safe sex’ is useless. We know on of the main risk factors for STI’s is multiple partners regardless of what ‘safe sex’ practices are employed. No one seems to mention the condom can have little effect on reducing the risk of catching herpes and HPV or the negative impacts of sexual activity can have on young people on their growth and development. Our message to young people should be to delay having sex, reduce the number of partners they have and see a future for themselves without the risks of STI’s.
I agree 100% with all the above. There is no 100%safe sex apart from abstinence. Yes, it may be safer to use protection than not but it is not safe. It is about time we realised that we have created this mess by equating sex with love. Just look at Australia’s No.1 song over the last month or so – Usher’s “OMG”. It is all about meeting a girl on a dance floor, seeing her amazing body, falling “in love” with her immediately and then wanting to do all sorts of things to her. And the media went wild for him, talking him up etc (See Channel 7 Sunrise program) and then wonder why we have so many problems with sexual health?? We need to take a stand for our children and say “enough is enough”. Abstinence is OK and infact more than OK. It is the only 100% safe sex and should be at least presented in a positive and wise choice for our kids.