British Government comes up with Ad Campaigns to Promote Safe Sex

The British government has launched a new campaign, encouraging young people in the age group of 18-24 to refrain from unsafe practices during sex.

In order to spread awareness of sexually transmitted infections (STI), which are highly widespread in this age group, the government has set aside £4 million for television, online, print and radio advertisements.

“This is not about encouraging promiscuity, but saying to those who are already sexually active: sex without a condom is seriously risky, so always use one,” public health minister Caroline Flint explained.

“The aim of this campaign is to make carrying and using a condom among this age group as familiar as carrying a mobile phone, lipstick or putting on a seat-belt.”

The Department of Health is concerned about people’s health, who are still unaware about the fact that having unsafe sex results in contracting sexually transmitted infections, which are on a rise these days.

In order to catch the attention of youngsters, the government has got teenagers to wear pants, flaunting messages like "I've got gonorrhea" and "I'll give you one" printed on them.

The television ads will go on-air on November 20, with the main focus on gonorrhea, the most common sexually transmitted disease which increases the risk of passing on or becoming infected with HIV, and chlamydia, the bacteria of which causes genital diseases.

“The benefits of empowering young people - through this campaign - not only to know this fact but to act on it cannot be overestimated,' Anne Weyman, chief executive of the Family Planning Association, said.

She also said that the key to success lies in prolonging the campaign with greatest efforts and leaving a deep impact on people.

Sexually transmitted diseases are infections that have a major chance of transmission between humans by means of sexual contact, vaginal intercourse, oral sex, and anal sex.

Healthcare professionals emphasize on the use of condoms to avoid contracting any infection or disease, but safer sex should by no means be considered a complete safeguard. Abstinence from sexual activities involving other people will protect against sexual transmission of sexually transmitted infections.

Besides unsafe sex, the other reasons for developing infections are blood transfusions and other blood products, sharing injection needles, needle-stick injuries (when medical staff are inadvertently jabbed or pricked with needles during medical procedures), sharing tattoo needles, and childbirth.

Among sexually active teenage girls, the most common sexually transmitted diseases are chlamydia trachomatis (10 to 25%), Neisseria gonorrhoeae (3 to 18%), syphilis (0 to 3%), Trichomonas vaginalis (8 to 16%), and herpes simplex virus (2 to 12%). Among boys, the infections that are most prevalent are C. trachomatis (9 to 11%) and N. gonorrhoeae (2 to 3%).

WHO estimated in 1996 that about 1 million people were infected daily. It is noted that 60% of the people are below 25 years, and in this group, 30% are below 20 years. Between the ages of 14 and 19, STDs occur more frequently in girls than boys by a ratio of nearly 2:1.

According to reports, total number of people living in the U.S. with a viral STD is over 65 million and every year, there are at least 15 million new cases of STDs.

It is estimated that as many as one in four Americans have genital herpes. With more than 50 million adults in the U.S. with genital herpes and up to 1.6 million new infections each year, some studies elucidate the fact that by 2025, up to 40% of all men and half of all women could be infected.

Over 6 million people acquire HPV each year, and by age 50, at least 80% of women will have acquired genital HPV infection. Each year, there are almost 3 million new cases of chlamydia, many of which are in adolescents and young adults.

Regular use of condom during sexual intercourse provides considerable shield against the acquisition of many STDs, including significant reduction of risk against HIV, chlamydia, gonorrhea, herpes, and syphilis.