AWARENESS-RAISING BY IUE HEALTH WORKERS
The experts remarked that the incidence of sexually transmitted diseases have increased, that it was transmitted through sexual partners, and often caused illnesses as infertility, cancer, and ectopic pregnancy. As the experts pointed out the importance of raising awareness among the youth, the lecturers of Faculty of Health Sciences of Izmir University of Economics enlightened the students on sexually transmitted disease and family planning and birth control methods.
Dr. Yavuz Selim Süral, Lecturer at IUE Faculty of Health Sciences, indicated that prevalence of sexually transmitted diseases increased in the last 20 years, and he said, “This is a case of health problem that involves exchange of bodily secretions and fluids such as seminal fluid, vaginal fluid, and blood. The number of sexually transmitted diseases have increased due to inefficient sexual protection as a result of sexual freedom in many countries, the age of sexual intercourse going low, and the active microorganisms gaining resistance against medicines. According to WHO data, 448 million curable diseases in adults aged between 15-49 worldwide come up every year.”
‘2 million 400 thousand people live with HIV in Europe’
Dr. Süral also stated that each year one in every 20 people got infected with one of these diseases, and one in every four women was diagnosed with a curable disease. World Health Organization (WHO), that Turkey is also member to, stated that there were approximately 2 million 400 thousand people living with HIV in Europe. He said that in the event that the diseases are not cured, the microbes are transmitted to the partners and cause infertility, cancer, and ectopic pregnancy, stillborn, and transmitting the disease to the new-born.
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Filiz Ögçe, also a lecturer at IUE Faculty of Health Sciences, informed the students on sexually transmitted diseases and family planning and birth control methods. She said, “Family planning refers to the spouses deciding on the time and number of children in accordance with their own living standards. Based on WHO statistics, while approximately 49% of the 28 million pregnancy cases in developed countries are not planned, and 36% of these end in abortion; in developing countries 36% are unplanned and 20% end in abortion. Even though Turkey is also on this database, based on inadequate data, unwanted pregnancy statistics for Turkey changes between 20-40%.”
‘Unwanted pregnancy causes health and social problems’
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ögçe pointed out that family planning played an important role in basic health services, and when used efficiently and informed, it solved many health issues and social concerns. Ögçe stated the following:
“Some of the unwanted pregnancies end in planned miscarriages, and some of those miscarriages happen in very unhealthy conditions, thus causing many women to lose their lives. On the other hand, children of unwanted, unplanned pregnancies, bring along many psychological and financial problems.”
