STD watch
There’s been a strong focus on STDs in the news recently, particularly in the SMH. Yesterday the Herald featured a Summer Survival Guide that included a section for Sexual Health. Here’s an excerpt:
“Sun, sand, sex? Many travellers take a holiday with the planned intention of having casual sex. Factor in diminished inhibitions due to alcohol and drugs and you have a potentially dangerous combination given that travel is known to be a major contributing factor in the global spread of sexually transmitted infections.”
Another recent SMH article (1/12/05) deals with STDs and the stereotypical assumptions that most people make about the sexuality and lifestyle of those people who contract HIV/AIDS. It reports that if you’re an HIV positive man, people generally assume that you’re homosexual, and if you’re an HIV positive woman, it’s assumed that you’re either a junkie, a prostitute or a slut. It deals with the discrimination of HIV positive people and the perception “that HIV only happens to bad people.”
These perceptions are in conflict with the fact that more Australian women contract HIV/AIDS than ever, and that many of these are well-educated and have been in long-term sexual relationships before becoming HIV positive.
The same paper also recently reported that health experts believe schools should introduce screening for sexually transmitted diseases in an attempt to educate students about the risks of unprotected sex (4/12/05).
Yet another SMH article (1/12/05) covered the story of a Chinese province that’s being ravaged by an HIV pandemic after a flawed blood-selling venture and an official cover-up. Five hundred and eighty of the village’s 3000 inhabitants have been infected over the last decade, many of who have died.
The Herald seems to be focusing on many different issues related to STDs, particularly HIV, in an effort to bring public awareness to the huge problem.
