Contraceptives will spread sex diseases, claims CMO

November 1985

CONTRACEPTIVES will lead to an increase in the amount of sexually transmitted diseases, a leading medical officer in the county has claimed.

Dr CF Ward, Chief Medical Officer, said that already the health ministry had pointed to an increase in sexually transmitted diseases in the country.

‘If contraceptives are made easily available then there is likely to be an increase in the spread of diseases and it is strange that they are placed on sale,’ he told a local meeting of the Wicklow Local Advisory Health Committee on Friday.

Dr Ward added: ‘Young people have become far more promiscuous now and this will also lead to an increase in diseases.’

He told the meeting that people normally go to their own medical doctors for treatment so he might not always be aware of the extent of these diseases in Wicklow.

Cllr Johnny Fox referred specifically to AIDS and asked that screening process was in operation to protect innocent people from being contaminated.

Dr Ward said that this was a very infectious disease and could be transmitted through the blood.

Quoting a circular from the Minister for Health, he said that the seven cases of AIDS so far in the country could be described as ‘imported’ cases.

‘However, recent research has indicated that the virus is now indigenous in this country. This research, which was carried out by the virus laboratory in UCD on intra-venus drug abusers, homosexuals and haemophiliacs showed that of 256 heaemophiliacs tested, 33 per cent proved positive, of 101 drug abusers, 24 per cent were positive, and of 139 homosexuals attending sexually transmitted diseases clinics, 13 per cent proved positive,’ said Dr Ward.