Sexually Transmitted Diseases, their Consequences, Risk Factors and Health Policy in UK and Globally - Report Example

Health Promotion: Sexually Transmitted Diseases, Their Consequences, Risk Factors and Health Policy in UK and Globally Introduction Sexually transmitted diseases are passed when an individual engages in unprotected sex with an infected individual. The effects of the infection are mild to severe and in some cases; they may lead to infertility or death. Individuals are at greater risk include teenagers and sexually active persons. The United Kingdom has implemented a health policy in which several interventions have been proposed to treat and control STDs infections among the risk groups. For instance, the Teenage Pregnancy Strategy (TPS) aims at having a positive impact on the teenage sexual health. Global STDs interventions are taken care of by organizations such as the world health organization (WHO). These organizations formulate guidelines that are to be adopted and implemented by individual nations in the control of STDs. Sexually Transmitted Diseases and their Consequences An individual is infected with sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) when he or she engages in sex in unprotected sex with someone who is already infected. Viruses, parasites, and bacteria cause STDs. There are several types of STDs (over 20 types) and the most common types include Chlamydia, gonorrhoea, genital herpes, HIV/AIDS (human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome), HPV (human papillomavirus), syphilis, and trichomoniasis. Majority of the STDs affect both women and men, but in most cases, the health problems caused by the disease can be very severe for the women. For pregnant women, STDs can have adverse effects on the health of the baby (National Institutes of Health 2011, par. 1). In the United Kingdom (UK), individual who are at a greater risk of being diagnosed with STDs are young people aged between 16 and 24 years. The most common bacterial STD is Chlamydia and the most common viral STD is genital warts. Other common STD infections in the UK include gonorrhoea, genital herpes, syphilis, and HIV/AIDS. Chlamydia can have serious consequences on the individual, for instance, it has been reported that Pelvic Inflammatory Disease (PID) can cause infertility in women. Within the UK region, gonorrhoea has been found to be resistant to particular drugs used in its treatment. This is a worrying trend because resistance can cause failure in treatment and thus increase the period of time an individual is infectious (Avert 2011, p1). Risk Factors According to a research done in 2000 in the United Kingdom, the risk of genital warts diagnosis was greatest among 16-19 year old females and males in comparison with other age groups. The disease was also greatest among heterosexual men in comparison with homosexual men; it is important to note that the risk was not linked with the sexual partners’ number (Hughes et al. 2000, p264). The risk of gonorrhoea was greatly linked with teenagers (especially the females), and being black African, black Caribbean, and other ethnic groups in comparison with the whites. Heterosexual men were at a risk of gonorrhoea diagnosis than heterosexual men. The risk increased considerably with the sexual partners’ number. Genital Chlamydia risk was greatest among teenagers in comparison with older individuals in black Africans and black Caribbean (the risk was greatest among males only). The risk was greatest among the heterosexuals in comparison with the homo/bisexuals. The risk was also increased considerably with the sexual partners’ number (Hughes et al. 2000, p265). Health Policy in the UK and Globally Health Policy in the UK The Department of Health in the United Kingdom in the fiscal year 2009/2010 set aside £2.9 million for the targeting of HIV health promotion programmes for the African communities and MSM (men who have sex with men); the programmes were to be managed by the African HIV Policy Network and Terrence Higgins Trust respectively. Through the Community HIV and AIDS Prevention Strategy (CHAPS) partnership with the Terrence Higgins Trust, they are able to reach MSM though the design and delivery of campaigns, information, and other materials relevant to the target group. Through the National HIV Prevention Strategy, The African HIV Policy Network is able to create and disseminate materials and information regarding HIV prevention and they target individuals from African communities living within England (Department of Health 2010, p53). Other government policy initiatives target the youth and the rest of the population. The Teenage Pregnancy Strategy (TPS) was introduced in 1999 and its aim to have a positive impact on the teenage sexual health. The Teenage Pregnancy Unit manages the programme and individual coordinators implement it at the local and regional levels. In 2001, the National Strategy for Sexual Health and HIV was published and its main purpose was to reduce the amount of newly acquired infections by a certain limit within a particular period. The Strategy is based on sexual health service provision three-level model that is implemented by the Primary Care Trusts (Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology 2004, p2). Health Policy Globally Globally, the WHO (World Health Organization) and UNAIDS (Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS) have drawn national guidelines for case management of sexually transmitted diseases. The aim of the case management for individuals with STDs include making correct diagnosis, providing effective treatment, reducing or preventing future risk-taking behaviours, advising on treatment compliance, promoting and providing condoms, and ensuring that sexual partners are informed and properly treated. Individual nations are expected to comply with the national guidelines set by the two organizations (WHO/UNAIDS 1999, p15). WHO has developed a framework for the global control of STDs. The framework entails interventions such as recognizing the significance of sexual partnerships and mother-child transmissions. Each level of intervention has measures that treat and prevent STDs (Low et al. 2007, p3). Conclusion Sexually transmitted diseases can affect anyone who engages in sexual activities without any protection. The effects of STDs are severe in most cases and they can lead to infertility and even death. However, there are some STDs that can be treated if they are diagnosed early. Groups that are at a greater risk of STDs infection include the teenagers and sexually active individuals. Prevention strategies have been implemented at the national and international level. These strategies aim at reducing the rate of newly acquired infections and proposing guidelines that will assist in preventing STDs. References AVERT. (2011) STD statistics and STDs in the UK [online], AVERT. Available from: [accessed 1 March 2012]. Department of Health. (2010) Equality impact assessment for National Sexual Health Policy, London: Department of Health. Hughes, G., Catchpole, M., Rogers, P. A., Brady., A. R., Kinghorn, G., Mercey, D. & Thin, N. (2000) Comparison of risk factors for four sexually transmitted infections: Results from a study of attenders at three genitourinary medicine clinics in England. Sex Transmission Infections, 76, pp262-267. Low, N., Broutet, N., Adu-Sarkodie, Y., Barton, P., Hossian, M & Hawkes, S. (2007) Global control of sexually transmitted infections, Geneva: World Health Organization. National Institutes of Health. (2011) Sexually transmitted diseases [online], MedlinePlus. Available from: [accessed 1 March 2012]. Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology. (2004) Teenage sexual health, London: Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology. WHO/UNAIDS. (1999) Sexually transmitted diseases: Policies and principles for prevention and care, Geneva: WHO/UNAIDS. Read More