for those who are not afraid of the future : http://www.rael.org
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RAEL'S COMMENT: This is why the promotion of condoms, the teaching of how to use them properly, and the free distribution of them in schools must take place now more than ever.
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Source: The Guardian
http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2010/aug/25/sexually-transmitted-infections-hit-record-high
Young at risk as sexually transmitted infections reach record levels
Peak age for a sexually transmitted infection is 19-20 for women and 20-23 for men, says Health Protection Agency
- The Guardian, Wednesday 25 August 2010
Data from the Health Protection Agency (HPA) indicates a worrying increase in sexually transmitted infections with sexual health clinics reporting 482,700 new cases in 2009, which is an increase of around 12,000 on the previous year.
While better and more widespread testing plays a part in the rise, there are concerns about young people. Two thirds of the STI cases were in females aged 15-24. These figures highlight the vulnerability of young women, said Dr Gwenda Hughes, head of the STI section of the HPA.
Many studies have shown that young adults are more likely to have unsafe sex and that they often lack the skills and confidence to negotiate safer methods.
The peak age for a sexually transmitted infection is 19-20 for women and 20-23 for men. Alarmingly, significant numbers of young people are returning to clinics.
About 10% of the 15- to 24-year-olds treated for a sexually transmitted infection will be re-infected within a year.
"The numbers we're seeing in teenagers are of particular concern as this suggests they are repeatedly putting their own, as well as others', longterm health at risk from STIs," said Hughes.
Experts believe the figures show the need for more and better sex education for the young. Marie Stopes International, a sexual health NGO, said the figures were extremely concerning.
"It is clear that some young people are not fully aware of the prevalence of STIs and how they can protect themselves against getting one," said Helen Jenkins, contraception and sexual health specialist.
"We fear that STI rates may continue to rise, particularly among young people, without increasing access to comprehensive sex and relationships education in all British schools.
"Many teachers tell us that they don't have the confidence or information to teach sex and relationships education effectively, despite knowing that many of their students are sexually active."
Natika Halil from the FPA charity said the state of sexual health in the UK was complicated and a cause for serious concern. "The message from this data to the new government is that they mustn't be tempted to cut services and campaigns in sexual health, and ignore the urgent need for statutory sex and relationships education in schools," she said.
Sir Nick Partridge, chief executive of the Terrence Higgins Trust, called it "staggering" that infections had risen to almost half a million a year. "Until we improve sex education and give extra support to young people, they will continue to take avoidable risks with their sex lives," he said.
The HPA figures show clearly that people aged under 25 are most affected by STIs. Among women, 73% of new cases of gonorrhoea and 66% of new cases of genital warts involved under-25s.
Chlamydia was also most likely to be found in the under-25s (88% of cases), but that was partly to do with more sensitive tests and the targeting of the testing campaign to the age group.
But half of all new diagnoses in men also involved under-25s. That included 41% of male gonorrhoea diagnoses, 47% of male cases of genital warts and 69% of male cases of chlamydia. STI diagnoses were also high among men who have sex with men.
Genital warts and syphilis diagnoses have stabilised, the figures show, but gonorrhoea is on the increase, which raises a particular concern. Resistance to the main antibiotic used to treat the infection, cefixime, rose from 0.1% in 2005 to 10.6% in 2009.
Professor Cathy Ison, a gonorrhoea expert at HPA's centre for infections, said no new antibiotics were in the pipeline to treat the infection once cefixime "is no good". She estimated the antibiotic may be effective against gonorrhoea for only another five years, although that time could shorten if the bacteria develops new methods of resistance.
The HPA is investigating combination therapies to treat the bacteria and is encouraging pharmaceutical companies to develop new drugs.
"Potentially this means that in the case of gonorrhoea, practising safe sex may eventually be the only way of controlling the infection if new antibiotic treatments cannot be found," Ison said.
HPA advises that everyone should use a condom with any new sexual partner and visit a sexual health clinic after unsafe sex. People should also be screened for chlamydia every year and whenever they get a new partner, it says. Gay men should go for annual sexual health screening, including an HIV test.
WARNING FROM RAEL: For those who don't use their intelligence at its full capacity, the label "selected by RAEL" on some articles does not mean that I agree with their content or support it. "Selected by RAEL" means that I believe it is important for the people of this planet to know about what people think or do, even when what they think or do is completely stupid and against our philosophy. When I selected articles in the past about stupid Christian fundamentalists in America praying for rain, I am sure no Rael-Science reader was stupid enough to believe that I was supporting praying to change the weather. So, when I select articles which are in favor of drugs, anti-semitic, anti-Jewish, racist, revisionist, or inciting hatred against any group or religion, or any other stupid article, it does not mean that I support them. It just means that it is important for all human beings to know about them. Common sense, which is usually very good among our readers, is good enough to understand that. When, like in the recent articles on drug decriminalization, it is necessary to make it clearer, I add a comment, which in this case was very clear: I support decriminalizing all drugs, as it is stupid to throw depressed and sad people (as only depressed and sad people use drugs) in prison and ruin their life with a criminal record. That does not mean that there is any change to the Message which says clearly that we must not use any drug except for medical purposes. The same applies to the freedom of expression which must be absolute. That does not mean again of course that I agree with anti-Jews, antisemites, racists of any kind or anti-Raelians. But by knowing your enemies or the enemies of your values, you are better equipped to fight them. With love and respect of course, and with the wonderful sentence of the French philosopher Voltaire in mind: "I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it".
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"Ethics" is simply a last-gasp attempt by deist conservatives and
orthodox dogmatics to keep humanity in ignorance and obscurantism,
through the well tried fermentation of fear, the fear of science and
new technologies.
There is nothing glorious about what our ancestors call history,
it is simply a succession of mistakes, intolerances and violations.
On the contrary, let us embrace Science and the new technologies
unfettered, for it is these which will liberate mankind from the
myth of god, and free us from our age old fears, from disease,
death and the sweat of labour.
Rael
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