Teenagers not taking precautions when having sex

Seventy-five per cent of teenagers who visit the Genito-Urinary Clinic to test for sexually transmitted diseases, admit that they do not use condoms or any form of contraception when having sex.

According to clinic director Philip Carabott, 50 per cent of teenagers also admitted having casual sex on one-night stands when they cannot recall the name of their partner.

About 42 per cent of the 1,000 people who visit the clinic annually are teenagers, some as young as 13.

Dr Carabott was yesterday interviewed following a news conference organised by the Malta Medical Students' Association (MMSA) to mark World Aids Day.

Dr Carabott said that the World Health Organisation estimated that Malta had potentially 13,000 sexually transmitted infections a year, but so far just a fraction of those affected were visiting the clinic.

The first extensive Public Health Report, compiled by the Health Information Department and published recently, shows that the cumulative number of Aids notifications in Maltese residents amounted to 51 in 2001, up from five in 1986.

However, Dr Carabott pointed out that at the moment it was difficult to say how prevalent sexually-transmitted diseases (STDs), including HIV and Aids (acquired immune deficiency syndrome) were, because there was no national surveillance programme.

Dr Carabott is hoping that such a surveillance programme will be introduced in the coming months following the implementation of the Public Health Act.

This programme would include the sharing of information, where the client remains anonymous, to determine what kind of problem Malta faced, where it lay and who to target.

"We should start by conducting a serious national prevalence study on STD chlamydia - 15 per cent of young people in Europe suffer from this disease and it is the leading cause of infertility," he said.

Chlamydia was curable, but most people waited to experience symptoms before visiting the GU clinic, even though they were leading a risky lifestyle.

The clinic was also concerned by the fact that eight cases of early infectious syphillis - an STD which can be treated with antibiotics - had surfaced in Malta this year.

"We thought this disease, which was the Aids of yesterday and had devastated Europe for centuries, had long been buried, but for the first time in many years we had eight cases so far this year - which had been contracted locally," he said.

Dr Carabott spoke about the importance of proper education and awareness on practising safer sex and praised the medical students for their dedication in creating an awareness on Aids.

The MMSA organised numerous activities leading up to World Aids Day, including discussions and information stands, ending with a symbolic, candlelit walk to show solidarity with the victims.

The walk which was held in Valletta last night, was organised in collaboration with the Malta Gay Rights Movement.

The MMSA yesterday also joined forces with a number of youth and student organisations to present a written declaration aimed at speaking out in one voice against the discrimination millions of Aids patients faced each day.

Together these young people encouraged people to break the silence and the barriers to effective HIV and Aids prevention and care.

The declaration has four main points which focus on the right to equality; the right to information and education; responsible behaviour and the right to access healthcare services.

This year's campaign, promoting the message 'Live and let live: Fighting stigma and discrimination', was coordinated by the Standing Committee on Reproductive Health including Aids (SCORA) within the MMSA, with the support of the Sexually Transmitted Infections Prevention Committee.

The Malta Chamber of Pharmacists yesterday also issued a statement highlighting its objectives to encourage individuals, healthcare professionals and institutions to reflect on how they responded to those living with HIV and Aids.

"As pharmacists, we can play a leading role in providing a supportive environment for sufferers and their carers. When people feel they are accepted as part of the community, they are more likely to take responsibility for their HIV status, seek treatment and prevent transmission," the statement said.

The Forum Zghazagh Laburisti also issued a statement encouraging governments, both in Malta and abroad, to invest more money in research for the treatment of HIV and Aids and called for better sex education in schools.

The General Workers' Union said it was joining a worldwide trade union campaign to fight against this disease by promoting initiatives between unions and employers at a national level.