Hse launches ‘own brand’ condoms to promote safe sex...
€50k campaign tackles stis and crisis pregnancy
THE health service is to spend €50,000 on HSE branded condoms and lubrication packets, it emerged yesterday.
This follows it seeking tenders from firms to produce the “Johnny’s got you covered” items.
The National Condom Distribution Service will then give away the 500,000 condoms and 250,000 lubrication packets to people who need them.
The HSE said this is part of an ongoing battle against unplanned pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases.
The condoms are to be delivered by July this year and stored at a facility in Co Waterford for nationwide distribution.
Underlining the task faced by the HSE in halting the spread of STIS amongst young people, the Health Protection Surveillance Centre last year recorded an 11% increase in the cases in the 15 to 24 years of age bracket.
This represents a hike from 4,677 to 5,200 with chlamydia making up half of cases.
Against the background of increased rates, Dr Ilona Duffy last month said: “While it’s fine to be on Tinder and meeting up with people for sex – you’ve got to take precautions and I think that’s not out there.” A HSE spokeswoman said yesterday: “The NCDS supports sexual health campaigns and services targeting young people and MSM communities. “Condoms and lubricant sachets are provided through a variety of channels, such as sexual health education programmes, HSE clinical/non-clinical services, outreach work and events.” The estimated spend of €50,000 on behalf of the HSE Crisis Pregnancy Programme follows the service spending €100,000 between 2012 and 2015 on buying 700,000 condoms and 300,000 sachets of lubricants.
The fresh spend on the condoms comes against the background of rising STI rates in Ireland and rocketing HIV cases.
The HSE has revealed the number of STI notifications increased by 279% from 3,361 in 1995 to 12,753 in 2013 while HIV cases increased to over 500 in 2016.
The 2016 total for new HIV cases was the highest number since records began and provisional figures for last year showed only a slight dip in spite of the public information campaigns around the dangers of contracting the disease.
The Sexual Health Strategy also revealed more than one third of women in Ireland have had an experience of a crisis pregnancy which is defined as a pregnancy “that is neither planned or desired and is a personal crisis for the woman”.