I read an article roughly a week ago that stated cases of gonorrhea and chlamydia are on the rise among Alberta youth.
The statistics for males and females between the age of 15 and 19 showed an almost two-fold increase in the rate of gonorrhea among males and females from 2002 to 2007 and a similar rise in the cases of chlamydia among young men.
In the article, Brian Parker, from Options Sexual Health Association, says that a lot of youth are shocked to learn that they can transmit STIs through oral sex. The disappointing (but not surprising) bit is this, though:
Even though STDs are increasing among young people, there has been no change in the sex education students are getting at school, Parker said.
I know this problem isn’t unique to Alberta, but it’s shameful, to say the least, that schools aren’t altering their curriculum to help solve this problem. As Holly from Menstrual Poetry says, “Education is the most powerful resource anyone can have and it’s the only thing no one can take away from you. The same applies for the subject of sex, especially when you’re talking about teenagers.”
We need to push schools for better sex education, when the current system isn’t working. When youth don’t realise that STIs can’t be transmitted through oral sex, what else don’t they know? I think I’ll write a post or do a vlog in the near future on safe sex. It’s obviously needed.
June 29, 2008 at 3:34 pm
[...] rates are on the rise in Alberta, so I decided to take a moment to talk about safe sex. I demonstrate safe condom use and I show how [...]