According to a study carried out in Lima, in the country 1 in 10 young people suffer or have suffered from a chlamydia infection, 3 in 10 from bacterial vaginosis and a surprising 27% have suffered from herpes at some point in their youth. This is adding that at the national level alone, 21.7% of people between 15 and 29 years of age correctly identified the ways to prevent the sexual transmission of HIV and rejected erroneous ideas about its transmission. In response to these alarming figures, a multidisciplinary group of young university students launches “STDs Take This Seriously!”, a campaign that removes the taboo about preventing STDs.
The campaign focuses on providing answers to the fundamental questions surrounding STD prevention: What are STDs? How are they transmitted? How to prevent them? To this end, educational resources, informative lives and access to confidential health service contacts will be offered. This is because according to the MINSA, the coastal region concentrates the highest number of infections in young people due to STDs with an approximate of 2,443,751 cases.” STDs Take this seriously!” It has been developed by students from the faculties of Design, Marketing and Communications.
In the context of the initiative for the prevention of Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STDs), the director of the “STD Take This Seriously!” campaign, Javiera Reyes Calle, emphasized the prevailing need to address the stigma associated with these diseases. Addressing the challenges faced by Lima’s youth in terms of sexual health, she highlighted the importance of providing adequate tools that empower young people to make informed decisions. “The prevalence of stigma around STDs often acts as a significant barrier to seeking information and adopting healthy practices. In this sense, our organization is committed to breaking these stereotypes and offering an educational space that encourages an accurate and non-judgmental understanding of STDs.”
STDs Take this seriously!” It has the participation of various health professionals who are experts in sexual health issues and at the same time testimonies from people who have gone through or are going through infections of one of the many types of STDs that exist today. If you want to be part of the community and learn about STDs and how to prevent them, join our social network (Instagram) by searching @ets_2023.
