We can’t be complacent about our sexual health

That’s the message from the Health Promotion Agency for Northern Ireland (HPA) as it adds support to World AIDS Day, the annual event which aims to raise awareness of the disease.

Latest figures from the Genito-urinary Medicine Clinic at the Royal Victoria Hospital show that by the end of September this year 444 people in Northern Ireland are reported to have the HIV virus, and to date there have been 142 deaths from AIDS.

Dr Brian Gaffney, Chief Executive of the HPA, said: “The latest figures show that in the majority of instances the virus has been acquired through sexual intercourse between men (56%), this is followed by more than one in four cases (28%) occurring through sexual intercourse between men and women.”

On a global scale women are increasingly infected with the disease and they are now making up almost half of the 37.2 million people currently living with HIV worldwide. Many of these women have become infected through blood transfusions and women who are unaware that they have acquired the disease have passed it onto their babies.

Dr Gaffney continued: “Complacency towards sexual health is the killer. Thinking it won’t happen to you is as good as sticking your head in the sand. Don’t put yourself or your partner at risk – practice safer sex. The best protection against a range of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) is simple - use a condom.”

The HPA continues to run its sexual health information campaign aimed at increasing awareness of safer sex for 18 – 30 year olds. The campaign takes the form of posters with hard hitting messages, which are displayed in a number of pubs, clubs and student unions popular with this age group throughout Northern Ireland.

The HPA will be working closely with the Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety to implement the Sexual Health Promotion Strategy which aims to reduce the number of new diagnoses of HIV /STIs by 25% by 2009.

More information on the annual 1 December event can be found by visiting www.worldaidsday.org

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Notes to the editor
World AIDS falls on 1 December each year.

For further information
Contact Jenny Dougan on 028 9031 1611 / 9031 1514.