increase awareness on STIs
4 February 2009
North West Department of Health will embark on a door to door campaign
across the province to increase awareness for prevention and management of
sexually transmitted infections (STIs). The campaign will resume on 9 February
in Brits and will end in Vryburg on 19 February 2009. As part of the campaign,
health officials will engage on health dialogues at tertiary institutions,
public schools and community gatherings.
The campaign will culminate into the provincial STI and condom event to be
held in Vryburg on 20 February. The door to door campaign is done in accordance
with the national STI and condom week designated for 10 to 16 February. The
campaign will highlight awareness of the symptoms and signs of STIs; importance
of promptly seeking treatment for STIs; awareness of the availability of free,
quality male condoms from public clinics and hospitals and non-traditional
outlets.
Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) are transmitted through sexual
intercourse from an infected individual to their partner. The risk of STIs is
greatly reduced or eliminated through the ABC policy:
* Abstinence,
* Being faithful to one partner and
* Condomise
The use of male and female condoms will assist in reducing the risk. With
the alarming backstreet abortion advertisements in the province, the department
will also use the campaign to urge the public to utilise its recognised health
facilities for termination of pregnancy. The MEC for Health, Nomonde Rasmeni,
launched the pregnancy resolution campaign in September 2008 to discourage
women from seeking backstreet abortions and encourage them to utilise
designated health facilities of the North West Provincial Department of
Health.
The users of the unlicensed backstreet clinics often visit health facilities
after encountering serious health complications. This is not only costly to the
department but also creates a burden on the health care system.
Issued by: Department of Health, Northwest Provincial Government
4 February 2009
Source: Department of Health, Northwest Provincial Government (http://www.nwhealth.gov.za)
