Canada: Saskatchewan health official says HIV/AIDS-infected teens on rise
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Dec 9, 2011, 1:35:18 AM12/9/11
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Canada: Saskatchewan health official says HIV/AIDS-infected teens on rise
By Betty Ann Adam, The StarPhoenix December 8, 2011
Sharon Cousins, left, and Laurie Schuette light candles on Thursday during a church service at St. Thomas Wesley United Church in memory of family members who have died of AIDS.
Sharon Cousins, left, and Laurie Schuette light candles on Thursday during a church service at St. Thomas Wesley United Church in memory of family members who have died of AIDS.
Photograph by: Greg Pender, The Starphoenix, The StarPhoenix
Teenage girls contracting HIV is a disturbing and emerging trend in Saskatchewan that requires more education for youth, a health official says.
Four girls and one male between 15 and 19 tested positive in 2010 for the virus that causes AIDS, according to an annual report released Thursday by the Saskatchewan Ministry of Health.
"For a 15-year-old to be diagnosed with HIV, that is a devastating diagnosis. For Saskatchewan, it's terrible," said Dr. Johnmark Opondo, deputy medical health officer for the Saskatoon Health Region and director of the province's AIDS strategy.
The younger the infected individual, the greater likelihood it will be a female, Opondo said.
The problem has increased in the current year, though there won't be any official numbers until after Dec. 31, Opondo said.
"In 2011, it's estimated that amongst individuals under 19 we're looking at about six cases and it's possible in individuals less than 15 we have a couple," Opondo said.
"We are seeing an emerging trend of these young people and if we don't help and do something about it, then that is a tragic, almost miscarriage of responsibility to the children of Saskatchewan.
"These are still children. It is important for us as a society to come together to address some of these concerns."
The report shows there were 172 new cases of HIV in Saskatchewan in 2010, including one baby born with the infection.
The total is down from the 200 new cases in 2009, but Saskatchewan still has more than twice as many cases, with 19.3 cases per 100,000 people, as the Canadian average of 7.2 per 100,000, according to the report.
Aboriginal people made up 73 per cent of the new cases, with 125 of the 172 individuals identifying themselves as such. The great majority of new cases involved injection drug users (123), while heterosexual exposure was cited in 25 cases and male homosexual exposure was listed in 10 cases.
The 2010 teens are listed as injection drug users in the report, but having multiple sexual partners and not using condoms add to the risk, Opondo said.
In a province where 14 is estimated to be the age when many young people become sexually active, it is essential that they be taught that the virus can be transmitted by unprotected sex, he said.
"Sex education and information to young people should be universal," Opondo said. "It's just as important as young people knowing math or English or spelling. They need to know how to protect themselves because for a 15-year-old being infected with HIV, that's devastating."
Saskatchewan Education offers a non-compulsory sexual health curriculum so different schools take what they want, he said.
"It's better in some school districts than others. Some have opted out of talking about any contraception or use of condoms. That is certainly a challenge that we need to address."
"For young people out of school or are truant or in care, it's not a very strong service. It's pretty flimsy at the moment and definitely, that's a gap, that's something that needs more attention.
"It's a serious situation and it's something Saskatchewan needs to be aware of."
Opondo would also like to see a structured program to ensure youngsters in care of social agencies, youth care homes and other facilities that house teens are taught about the risks of infection and provided condoms if needed. "If they made a request for info and a supply of condoms, why not? I think we would certainly do that," he said.
Read more: http://www.thestarphoenix.com/health/Sask+health+official+says+infected+teens+rise/5799772/story.html#ixzz1g15xNWtl
Canada: Saskatchewan health official says HIV/AIDS-infected teens on rise
By Betty Ann Adam, The StarPhoenix December 8, 2011
Sharon Cousins, left, and Laurie Schuette light candles on Thursday during a church service at St. Thomas Wesley United Church in memory of family members who have died of AIDS.
Sharon Cousins, left, and Laurie Schuette light candles on Thursday during a church service at St. Thomas Wesley United Church in memory of family members who have died of AIDS.
Photograph by: Greg Pender, The Starphoenix, The StarPhoenix
Teenage girls contracting HIV is a disturbing and emerging trend in Saskatchewan that requires more education for youth, a health official says.
Four girls and one male between 15 and 19 tested positive in 2010 for the virus that causes AIDS, according to an annual report released Thursday by the Saskatchewan Ministry of Health.
"For a 15-year-old to be diagnosed with HIV, that is a devastating diagnosis. For Saskatchewan, it's terrible," said Dr. Johnmark Opondo, deputy medical health officer for the Saskatoon Health Region and director of the province's AIDS strategy.
The younger the infected individual, the greater likelihood it will be a female, Opondo said.
The problem has increased in the current year, though there won't be any official numbers until after Dec. 31, Opondo said.
"In 2011, it's estimated that amongst individuals under 19 we're looking at about six cases and it's possible in individuals less than 15 we have a couple," Opondo said.
"We are seeing an emerging trend of these young people and if we don't help and do something about it, then that is a tragic, almost miscarriage of responsibility to the children of Saskatchewan.
"These are still children. It is important for us as a society to come together to address some of these concerns."
The report shows there were 172 new cases of HIV in Saskatchewan in 2010, including one baby born with the infection.
The total is down from the 200 new cases in 2009, but Saskatchewan still has more than twice as many cases, with 19.3 cases per 100,000 people, as the Canadian average of 7.2 per 100,000, according to the report.
Aboriginal people made up 73 per cent of the new cases, with 125 of the 172 individuals identifying themselves as such. The great majority of new cases involved injection drug users (123), while heterosexual exposure was cited in 25 cases and male homosexual exposure was listed in 10 cases.
The 2010 teens are listed as injection drug users in the report, but having multiple sexual partners and not using condoms add to the risk, Opondo said.
In a province where 14 is estimated to be the age when many young people become sexually active, it is essential that they be taught that the virus can be transmitted by unprotected sex, he said.
"Sex education and information to young people should be universal," Opondo said. "It's just as important as young people knowing math or English or spelling. They need to know how to protect themselves because for a 15-year-old being infected with HIV, that's devastating."
Saskatchewan Education offers a non-compulsory sexual health curriculum so different schools take what they want, he said.
"It's better in some school districts than others. Some have opted out of talking about any contraception or use of condoms. That is certainly a challenge that we need to address."
"For young people out of school or are truant or in care, it's not a very strong service. It's pretty flimsy at the moment and definitely, that's a gap, that's something that needs more attention.
"It's a serious situation and it's something Saskatchewan needs to be aware of."
Opondo would also like to see a structured program to ensure youngsters in care of social agencies, youth care homes and other facilities that house teens are taught about the risks of infection and provided condoms if needed. "If they made a request for info and a supply of condoms, why not? I think we would certainly do that," he said.
Read more: http://www.thestarphoenix.com/health/Sask+health+official+says+infected+teens+rise/5799772/story.html#ixzz1g15xNWtl
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