A survey conducted by the Department of Health in the United Kingdom reveals that more than 5,000 young people under the sexual majority have sexually transmitted infections.
Sexually transmitted infections don’t just affect adults. Many young people under the sexual majority have been infected according to a survey by the agency of the British Department of Health, Public Health England, revealed in the online edition of Daily Mail.
15 consultations for STIs per day
5,386 adolescents under the age of 15 went to the doctor for an STI, according to data from Public Health England. This is the equivalent of 15 visits each day. Beyond the fact that these are acts performed below the sexual majority, it is the explosion of infections as we approach the age of 15 that emerges from this analysis. Indeed, if some patients were only 11 years old at the time of their infection, most of the consultations are carried out with 15-year-old adolescents.
The number of children with sexually transmitted infections has doubled in ten years. There has been a slight decline since 2010. But the figures remain worrying according to the British agency, especially since many cases could go unreported. Indeed, the report by Public Health England only takes into account cases reported during medical visits. Young people who are ill but not treated, out of fear of talking about it or out of ignorance, are therefore not included in these statistics.
Sexual abuse and pornography
Experts point out that in the case of children under 13, it is more likely to be sexual abuse than active sex. But some associations denounce the increasingly easy access to pornographic images online. We can also bet on a problem of sex education for older adolescents. Because the infections affecting this public are varied: from genital herpes to gonorrhea through genital warts. Chlamydia infection undoubtedly wins the prize for the most transmitted bacteria among minors.
It is the young public as a whole who are exposed to sexually transmitted infections, girls and boys on an equal basis. Among adolescents who have reached the sexual majority, we again see the number of consultations explode: more than 10,300 16-year-olds and almost 18,000 17-year-olds are concerned. “Rates remain highest among those under 25,” said Dr Gwenda Hughes, director of STI surveillance for Public Health England. “These infections are often easy to diagnose and treat, if left untreated they can have serious health consequences. “
To reduce the risk of getting infected, just wear a condom when having sex. The agency recalls that regular screening also reduces the consequences of a sexually transmitted infection.
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