Sex is a minefield

Dec 21 2007 by Andrew Baldwin, Huddersfield Daily Examiner

ANYBODY over the age of 30 should remember the doom-laden anti-Aids government information films of the late 1980s.

But today’s younger generation is increasingly oblivious to the dangers of sexually transmitted diseases.

No one under 16 now was alive at the time those adverts came out. An entirely new generation has begun experimenting with sexuality in the years since, without consistent, up-to-date information about the risks and realities.

Research by the Sex Education Forum has discovered that most teenagers thought chlamydia was a girls’ name.

And with cases of the disease having risen sharply, as well as an increase in the number of people diagnosed with genital warts and syphilis, that’s a frightening realisation.

Sex has got seriously scary.

While teen mothers have for long been the subjects of numerous, well-funded Government campaigns, public health experts believe sexual health issues are being ignored.

So it is good news that a new screening programme has been launched across Huddersfield in places like schools and colleges to target those in the 15 to 24 age group.

Diagnosis outside clinics will cut queues and allow those testing positive to be treated more quickly and will ultimately save the NHS money.

Public health budgets need to be ring-fenced to prevent short-term financial pressures undermining long-term public health strategies.

Put simply, we need more money spent on sexual health, and spent more effectively.