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Tuesday, 23 April 2024

Sunday, 20 March 2005 10:06

BNN: British Nursing News Online · www.bnn-online.co.uk

Sex health services need to improve

A report by the Health Select Committee is to warn of a crisis in soaring rates of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) among the young.

The report New Developments in Sexual Health and HIV/Aids Policy – said that sexual health services were struggling to cope with the rise in STIs, which have gone up 11% in two years, and a doubling in demand for clinics since 1997.

Committee chairman David Hinchliffe said: "Rates of sexually transmitted infections are still rising and sexual health services are more overstretched than ever.

"It is particularly important that sexual health services are able to meet the extra demand that will be generated by the Government's planned health education campaign”.

Shadow health minister Simon Burns said the report was a "damning indictment" of the Government's failure to prevent the rise in STIs.

"Labour's failure has allowed the situation to reach epidemic proportions and is yet another example of the money the Government is spending on the NHS failing to get to badly needed frontline services”.

Nick Partridge, director of Terrence Higgins Trust, said: "Unless HIV treatment is provided to all who need it in the UK, helping to suppress their viral load and keeping them in touch with health workers, we will see a higher level of transmission of the virus - and nobody wants that”.

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