Preventing STI on Juveniles - Essay Example

The effects associated with the acquisition of STIs are not only limited to medical and psychological aspects but have other devastating implications on the infected teenagers including the cost and sequelae of STIs. In order to prevent the spread of sexually transmitted diseases, a diverse range of barrier methods are available, such as condoms to ensure safety of both partners during coitus. In modern society, one of the major problems faced by the health care system is the prevention of sexually transmitted infections in juveniles (Steele et al 2005).

Preventive Measures: Abstinence from sexual relations is one of the most efficacious means of reducing the risk of acquiring AIDS and other sexually transmitted infections. On the other hand, maintaining a mutual monogamous sexual relationship with an uninfected partner is another way of minimizing the risk of acquiring STIs through sexual contact. The risk of infection with HIV and other STIs can also be significantly reduced by using barrier methods such as latex condoms or by using spermicides.

In heterosexual partners, the prevalence of HIV infection is quite high. In accordance with a recent research, the percentage of heterosexual partners having HIV infection is as high as 11% and about 60% of HIV infected heterosexual partners’ exhibit seropositive results (McGlynn et al 2000). The need for Diverse Interventions: In order to reduce the initial acquisition, further transmission and sequelae of sexually transmitted infections, there is an urgent need to formulate and strictly implement a diverse range of interventions.

Interventions such as fostering the use of condoms, development of new biomedical methods, school-college based educational programs and routine screening have simply not been able to cause a sharp decrease in the incidence of sexually transmitted infections in sexually active young individuals. It is a fact that these interventions have significantly increased the awareness about STIs but the rapid increase in the number of cases reported each year mirrors their inefficacy. The alarming rise in the number of teenagers having STIs reflects the failure of the government in the implementation of effective and diverse interventions at every level.

Therefore, the need for drawing up and strictly enforcing effective projects for the prevention of STIs is the greatest now than ever before (Steele et al 2005). Design for Change in Practice: To ensure effective outcomes, it is a prerequisite for the interventions mentioned in this section to be implemented comprehensively and at different societal levels. The new design for change in practice will address the following areas of concern. The most effective way of sharply decreasing the percentage of new STI cases is to convey the importance of sexual abstinence to young individuals.

The advent of new biomedical approaches, such as vaccines, has been assumed to provide easy and instant solution to the critical problem of rise in STIs in juveniles. However, it is quite unrealistic to believe that such approaches will provide fast and instant solution. The realistic approach is to couple these biomedical approaches with behavioral approaches in order to increase their effectiveness and efficacy. Thirdly, it is quite important to realize that teenagers need to be informed about how to properly use condoms during sexual intercourse.

Unfortunately, a large number of community or school based programs and parent