Are casual attitudes to blame for STDS?

By James Congdon

In the past 10 years, the rate of STD infection in the UK has risen from 244,282 in 1998 to over 400,000. This is on top of a growing culture of casual sex and unplanned pregnancies. The situation has lead a number of health experts to question exactly why the number is on the rise. It is indeed down to the growing binge and casual culture, or is it down to a lack of education?

One story that has hit the headlines over the past couple of days involves a 23 year old graduate from Manchester named Elizabeth Horsefall. She is a self confessed bed hopper, with a string of no less than 25 men at her beckon call. One particular article which is essentially interview for a tabloid, talks about how her love for casual sex began at an early age and how she had men dotted around the country, prepared to have sex whenever she was in the area.

This really does call to question our values as a nation, and pose the further question of whether casual sex really is the norm. If it is, then is the reason that more and more people are being diagnosed with sexually transmitted diseases?

The article refers to a culture that sees young people of both sexes, more inclined to engage in sexual relations with strangers, ‘contacts’ and ‘booty calls’ (contacts that are primarily for sex). When referring to one particular sex contact, Horsefall says “after a few meetings with John he became more demanding - asking to see me every night and quizzing me when his friends saw me with other men. This broke the rules”.

Essentially, intimacy and relationships appear to have gone out the window for a growing number of young people and with diseases like herpes are on the rise, health experts fear that things are likely to get worse.

Back in 2004, the UK Health Secretary; John Reid announced his proposal that £300 million should be spent on tackling the problem. He also felt that prevention messages would not suffice. However, 5 years on, little appears to have changed. This had lead to a great deal of debate over whether children should be taught about sex from a young age.

We recommend you seek advice from a qualified health practitioner if you observe any symptoms that are associated with any STD.