Sexual Health

Sexuality is part of our everyday life.
What steps are you taking to educate yourself?

Did you know that?
Of the more than 15 million new STD infections
each year, two-thirds occur in people under 25
years of age, while one in four occur in teenagers .
Today there are more than 30 STDs and over 200
strains of human papilloma virus (HPV).
A study found that HPV infects 46% of teenage
girls after their first sexual intercourse. HPV is
directly linked to 99.7% of all cervical cancers.
Nearly as many women die of cervical cancer
each year as die of AIDS.

Herpes increased 500% in the past 20 years among teens.
Nearly 50% of African teens have genital herpes.
Nearly 3 in 10 teen girls has Chlamydia; nearly half of all cases are girls 15-19 years old.
Over 80% of teens with STDs show no symptoms and therefore never get medical attention, leaving them exposed to the risk of serious complications years later.

HIV, herpes, HPV, chancroid, intestinal parasites, gonorrhea, syphilis and hepatitis A & B can all be contracted through oral sex.

Condoms do not eliminate the risk of contracting an STD, and do little to prevent many viral infections spread by skin-to-skin contact, especially HPV and herpes.

New studies show that clinical depression in adolescent boys and girls is related to sexual activity and drinking.

cervical cancers

Cervical cancer is the second commonest cancer in women world wide, second only to breast. It accounts for ½ a million cases/year and approximately 80% of these occur in the developing world. 300,000 women die of cervical cancer per annum, more than die of complications of childbirth.

Nigeria, a West African country is the 9th most populous country in the world, ranking just above Japan. Almost 10% of its estimated 126 million population reside in Lagos, a small state on the western coast.

There are multiple reasons why cervical cancer is so common in Nigeria. There is no effective screening program and awareness of cervical cancer even among healthcare workers is low. In addition, the HIV epidemic has contributed to the incidence of this disease. The majority of women present late and as there is little opportunity for curative treatment and no access to palliative care, most women die a miserable death. A small, inexpensive intervention such as cervical screening could potentially save numerous lives.