From ‘Put it on, put it on’ to ‘I’m all for safe sex’: a new campaign to stop the rise of STIs | Aragon

The Ministry of Health launched the campaign this Monday “I’m All for Safe Sex,” with which he aims to find the effectiveness that “Put It On, Put It On” had over 30 years ago. stop the alarming rise in sexually transmitted infections (STIs) among young people.

“I belong to the gender they talk about. I belong to the gender without guilt. I belong to the respectful gender. I belong to the gender without infections. I belong to safe sex. inform yourself, I am protecting myself.” These are the messages that Health has chosen for this 100% digital campaign, which it presented this Monday and which is now available in national media, video platforms (Youtube) and audio (Spotify, online radio and social networks (Instagram and Tik). .

IN In 2022, 10.6% of new HIV diagnoses occurred in people under 25 years of age., with men and people born abroad suffering the most. Young people account for 12% of new cases over the past ten years, recalled Victoria Hernando, a researcher at the National Center of Epidemiology (CNE), at the launch of the campaign.

According to the latest CNE annual report, the main route of transmission was through sexual intercourse. In addition, 37% of these new cases experienced a delay in diagnosis.

Regarding other STIs such as syphilis, gonorrhea and chlamydia, the percentage of young people affected is also significant, especially in the group from 20 to 24 years old, and “insignificant” in the age group from 15 to 19 years old. Thus, in the case of syphilis, young people account for 10.2% of new cases. diagnoses; for gonorrhea – 23.8% and for chlamydia – 37.6%.

Depending on gender, women are more likely to get gonorrhea and chlamydia, while men are most affected by syphilis.

Despite this, although young people prefer to use condoms during penetrative sex (80%), 37% say that they did not do so even once in the past year for various reasons, according to the Youth in Spain 2020 report, recalled by its current president Andrea González.

27% said they used another method of contraception; 25% knew the person well enough; and 13% who did not have condoms at the time. By age, 77% of young people aged 15 to 24 use condoms, but among people aged 25 to 29 this figure drops to 69%.

Given these data, there is an urgent need new campaign raising awareness of the need for safe sexMoreover, the onset of sexual relations occurs on average at 16.2 years.

With it, the goal is to find out the effectiveness of the famous “Put it on, put it on” principle for promoting condom use for HIV prevention; In fact, condom promotion “is an integral part” of the Plan for the Prevention and Control of HIV and STIs in Spain 2021-2030, stressed Julia del Amo, director of the department for the control of HIV, STIs, viral hepatitis and tuberculosis.

The task was target population, adolescents and young people under 24 years of ageand the messages to be conveyed, which had to be “short, no, very short,” explained Puig Baviera, deputy general director of the Public Services of Inmaculada, at the campaign launch event.

Youth is one of the groups at increased risk of STI transmission along with sex workers, men who have sex with men (MSM), transgender people, prisoners or drug users. In their case, for biological reasons that predispose them: immaturity of the immune system or low production of cervical mucus, among others, as explained by Mar Vera García, president of the ITS group of the Spanish Society of Infectious Diseases and Clinical Microbiology. (Seimts).

And behavioral factorssuch as early initiation of sexual relations, heteronormative, adult-oriented vision without sex education, relativization of risk, use of alcohol and other recreational drugs and their forms of leisure with new technologies.

Public health has set itself the goal of preventing these infections, which have been increasing in number for 20 years, from becoming a serious public health problem by 2030, which is why Director General of the Office of Public Health and Health Equity Pedro Gullon influenced the need to focus on to these groups.