1a Conferenza Europea Salute e Benessere dei Giovani - Roma 16-18 giugno 2010
Sex education
The term sexually transmitted infections (STIs) includes all the diseases transmitted through sexual act and contact. According to the World Health Organization, this definition is preferable to that previously used (STDs) as underlines the frequent asymptomatic course of these infections that, otherwise, in those confirmed cases, manifest themselves with acute symptoms or with chronic forms. In addition, particularly significant are late and related consequences such as infertility, ectopic pregnancy, cervical cancer, urethral strictures and in rare cases the short or long term effects on other body systems (bones, heart, nervous system) and premature mortality in childhood or youth.
The STI diagnosis is more problematic during adolescence because the disease may be asymptomatic. Furthermore, social stigma and difficulty to accede to treatment services may affect adolescents’attitudes towards control.
Of the estimated 333 million new cases per year, at least 111 occur in young people under 25 years of age (*).
Lack of knowledge makes young people more vulnerable to sexually transmitted infections that, in Europe, represent the most common infectious forms after the respiratory ones. STI epidemiology differs between Western (low incidence) and Eastern Regions, Central Asia included (pronounced increase with epidemic levels).
Nevertheless, regarding Europe, the increase in the number of syphilis cases has been a worrying trend together with STI epidemics in Eastern Europe, which is a potential problem for the entire Europe.
Almost all Member States have STI surveillance systems; more than 90% have specialized clinics, but only 60% have guidelines for their management and treatment. In 56% of the countries, the services related to sexually transmitted infections are part of primary care and only 30% of them has a national program specifically designed for control and treatment (*).
Recent studies show that there are probably many and different factors involved in the spread of STIs in Western countries. They include: educational shortcomings and behavioural errors (increased recourse to risky sexual practices and lower use of condoms among people with frequent casual sex, even with HIV infection already known), a certain difficulty to contact the facilities that provide prevention and diagnosis services, a significant decrease in the perceived risk of infection.
A proper sex education is closely related to the STI topic, as sex is one of the main vehicles for infection transmission in Europe. In fact, a ultimate goal is to include in prevention initiatives also services for sexual and reproductive health.
Sex education programs, counselling for an informed sexuality, and therefore safer, and reproductive health awareness program, should be designed so as to reach as many people as possible. In this context, it is essential to pay special attention to women, mothers and young people from immigrant communities or ethnic minorities, often extremely vulnerable and subject to discrimination and exclusion on many fronts, as outlined in the European Conference "The right to HIV/AIDS prevention, treatment, care and support for migrants and ethnic minorities in Europe: The community perspective”, Lisbon 2007.
(*) Source: World Health Organization
The STI diagnosis is more problematic during adolescence because the disease may be asymptomatic. Furthermore, social stigma and difficulty to accede to treatment services may affect adolescents’attitudes towards control.
Of the estimated 333 million new cases per year, at least 111 occur in young people under 25 years of age (*).
Lack of knowledge makes young people more vulnerable to sexually transmitted infections that, in Europe, represent the most common infectious forms after the respiratory ones. STI epidemiology differs between Western (low incidence) and Eastern Regions, Central Asia included (pronounced increase with epidemic levels).
Nevertheless, regarding Europe, the increase in the number of syphilis cases has been a worrying trend together with STI epidemics in Eastern Europe, which is a potential problem for the entire Europe.
Almost all Member States have STI surveillance systems; more than 90% have specialized clinics, but only 60% have guidelines for their management and treatment. In 56% of the countries, the services related to sexually transmitted infections are part of primary care and only 30% of them has a national program specifically designed for control and treatment (*).
Recent studies show that there are probably many and different factors involved in the spread of STIs in Western countries. They include: educational shortcomings and behavioural errors (increased recourse to risky sexual practices and lower use of condoms among people with frequent casual sex, even with HIV infection already known), a certain difficulty to contact the facilities that provide prevention and diagnosis services, a significant decrease in the perceived risk of infection.
A proper sex education is closely related to the STI topic, as sex is one of the main vehicles for infection transmission in Europe. In fact, a ultimate goal is to include in prevention initiatives also services for sexual and reproductive health.
Sex education programs, counselling for an informed sexuality, and therefore safer, and reproductive health awareness program, should be designed so as to reach as many people as possible. In this context, it is essential to pay special attention to women, mothers and young people from immigrant communities or ethnic minorities, often extremely vulnerable and subject to discrimination and exclusion on many fronts, as outlined in the European Conference "The right to HIV/AIDS prevention, treatment, care and support for migrants and ethnic minorities in Europe: The community perspective”, Lisbon 2007.
(*) Source: World Health Organization
