Sexual health is a new priority

THERE has been an alarming rise in sexually transmitted diseases in the last decade. Dr David Jeffs, the director of public health and strategy, has revealed that this is to become a new priority because of this.

He believes that the island needs a sexual health strategy and is hoping that one will be established soon to run until 2009.

'Changes in sexual attitudes and behaviour means that not only are sexually active women more exposed to STDs through engaging in unprotected sex, but there is less social stigma in seeking treatment for them,' said Dr Jeffs.

'Although not originally one of the former Board of Health's chosen areas for priority service development, the speed of change, and the impact on future healthcare costs, means that doing nothing will not prove a cost-effective approach.'

The details are included in a new report looking into the state of the island's health.

In 1994 there were three cases of syphilis, eight of gonorrhoea, five of HIV and 42 of chlamydia.

In 2003 there were two cases of syphilis, 17 of gonorrhoea, 28 of HIV and 139 of chlamydia.

'What I believe has happened is that during the previous decade there was a lot of talk about HIV as an issue, there was a lot of health education and people were more careful,' said Dr Jeffs, but that over the last decade there had been changes in people's sexual patterns.

He said that in the UK, the average age that people first have sex had dropped from 17 to 16 and the average numbers of partners in a lifetime had risen from 8.6 to 12.7 for men and for women from 3.7 to 6.5.

'The more people you sleep with, the more chance you have of picking up diseases unless you practise so-called safe sex,' said Dr Jeffs.

He said that diseases, and particularly chlamydia, have related health risks.

'If we can prevent these then we will save health care costs in the future,' said Dr Jeffs.

'It makes sense to invest upstream. We can spend money now to save money in the future.

'For these reasons, representatives of those healthcare sectors with responsibilities in the area of sexual health have been meeting regularly to review the current provision of sexual health, genito-urinary medicine and family planning services in Guernsey and Alderney, to highlight deficiencies in each service provision and to recommend how these might be best addressed.'

It is hoped that these will form the basis of a sexual health strategy.

Six areas were chosen as health priority development areas between 2000-2009:

n'Cancer services;

n'Cardiovascular disease;

n'Mental health;

n'Services for older people;

n'Children's services;

n'Services for people with a learning disability.

Now Dr Jeffs is adding sexual health to that list.

'Back in 1998 there were just 54 cases of chlamydia whereas in 2003 there were 139. Over the last five years there has been a significant rise in STDs,' he said.

'That is the advantage of a five-year review, it allows us to look at what we are spending are money on and how we can best use our money in the future to save the most in the long run,'