Northern Ireland: New Drive to Tackle Sexual Infections

A campaign to raise sexual health began last week in Northern Ireland. The campaign, which will put posters on the back of the doors of public toilets, is aimed at young adults.

At the start of the 1990s, the number of people with newly diagnosed STDs in Northern Ireland was 6,000 each year. In the year ending March last year, the total was 11,000. The biggest rise is thought to be in the 16- to 24-year-old age group. One reason is believed to be that this age group is too young to remember the safe sex message so heavily promoted during the HIV/AIDS campaign of the 1980s.

The incidence of HIV remains relatively low in Northern Ireland, but the incidence of genital warts among men is the highest in the United Kingdom. Since the mid-1990s, the incidence of gonorrhea and chlamydia has shot up. Just recently there has been a serious outbreak of syphilis.

Health Promotion Agency Chief Executive Brian Gaffney said the posters used tongue-in-cheek humor to get a very serious message across. "The campaign also highlights that many people with an [STD] may not experience any outward symptoms, therefore anyone who has been at risk should have a check-up," said Gaffney. The posters and information leaflets will be displayed in 60 pubs and clubs throughout Northern Ireland. The campaign will run from July 2002 to March 2003.

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