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Fewer incidences of STIs - Newsroom - 16-02-2014
The Gauteng Department of Health says its intensive educational campaign to raise awareness around sexual transmitted illnesses (STIs) is beginning to bear fruit.
Through the awareness campaign, the province has seen a notable decrease in the incidences of STIs from 4% in the year 2008/09 to 3.1% in the last financial year of 2012/13.
The department’s campaign to encourage men to undergo medical male circumcision (MMC) at health facilities has also seen an increase in demand for the surgical procedure. In the last financial year, 94 151 MMC operations were conducted in 64 sites - 41 clinics and 23 hospitals - across the province.
“While circumcision has been shown to reduce the transmission of HIV to men, the department is still encouraging men to take precautions. Condoms should continue to be used even after circumcision and they are freely available at all public health facilities and other public centres in the province,†said Health MEC Hope Papo.
The MEC further announced that the partner treatment rate had increased from 21.7% in 2008/09 to 25.6% in the year 2012/13.
“Although this remains a bit of a challenge, our statistics show that more people are coming in for treatment following a diagnosis of their partners,†said Papo.
In the last financial year, the provincial department distributed 131 million male condoms and 1.3 million female condoms across the province.
The MEC commended the residents of Gauteng, especially the youth, for heeding the department’s call to abstain from sex for as long as possible and to use condoms when they engage in sexual activities. – SAnews.gov.za