June 09, 2015
New site to tackle sex infection ignorance
Young Maori and Pacific people have been identified as having a disproportionately high incidence of sexually transmitted infection.
Dr Edward Coughlan from Canterbury District Health Board’s Sexual Health Centre says over 60 percent of cases come from non-European ethnic groups.
That’s putting a burden on GPs and primary care nurses in Auckland and other regions.
He says New Zealand rates for bacterial STIs are significantly higher than comparable countries, with the chlamydia rate in 2013 almost double that of both the UK and Australia.
As part of a strategy to bring rates down, a multi-agency group funded by the Health Ministry has launched a new website, just the facts.co.nz, with up to date information about infections and how to prevent them.
Dr Coughlan says sexual health diagnoses still require in-person assessment and treatment, so a key feature of JUST THE FACTS is information on more than 130 clinics nationwide.
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