Has the Media and School Based Sex Education Reduced the Prevalence of Sexually Transmitted Diseases?

School based sex education, delivered before the minimum school leaving age remains the most effective way of universally, comprehensively, and uniformly targeting adolescent population. (1) Worldwide, approximately half of 16-year-olds are sexually active and have partner turnover which facilitates the spread of STIs, is at it's highest amongst young people (2) Approximately 60% of all new HIV cases are among young people (3) and more than 90% of these infections are due to sexual transmission (4) Despite a marked increase in …

…cases in England and Wales rose by 255 and between 1999 and 2000 there was a further 27% increase. The biggest rise has occurred among st teenagers. Between 1995 and 2000 the number of cases of gonorrhoea amongst young aged 19 and under more than doubled. (Heath promotion agency: 2002) Between 1972 and 2002, the number of all genital warts diagnoses increased more than six and tenfold in man and women, respectively for females, highest rates of new cases are found in 16-19 year olds.