Media Releases
HiV & STi hlp jst a TXT awy
April 19, 2007
The revolutionary sexual health text messaging service – sextxt™ – has extended its service offering in an effort to educate teens on the importance of safer sex and address the growing sexually transmitted infection (STI) and HIV/AIDS epidemic in Australia.
Launched during National Youth Week (14 – 22 April) by Australia’s leading sexual and reproductive healthcare organisation, Marie Stopes International, the service will now provide information and advice on issues relating specifically to chlamydia and HIV/AIDS.
“Youth today have a number of misunderstandings about the basics of contraception, as well as a lack of knowledge on STIs and HIV/AIDS,” said Suzanne Dvorak, Australian CEO of Marie Stopes International.
“In order to educate them on the facts and effectively address these misunderstandings, it is vital that any public health campaign uses a medium and language that resonates with youth.
“The sextxt™ service does just this - offering advice that is relevant to both heterosexual and homosexual youth, direct to their mobile phone when and where they need it.”
By texting sexinfo to 19SEXTXT (19 739 898) users will receive a reply within seconds with 10 options for automated assistance on sexual health issues. The sextxt™ service costs 55 cents per SMS message and the initiative is a not-for-profit service.
Targeting 16-25 year olds, the service provides support and advice on issues including STIs, HIV/AIDS, unprotected vaginal and anal sex, oral sex, pregnancy, missed pills, broken condoms and emergency contraception. The service also directs young people to a website and telephone hotline for further information.
The sextxt™ website – www.sextxt.org.au - complements the service with additional info on sexual health topics to ensure young people are fully equipped with the facts they need. To attract the youth target market, the website has been revamped with flash animation, wallpaper downloads and RSS monthly sex tips and advice feeds.
Statistics show that the number of new HIV diagnoses in Australia increased by 41% between 2000 and 2005. Chlamydia notifications have also more than doubled over the past six years, with 43,681 notifications in 2006 compared to only 16,967 notifications in 2000.
“It has been 20 years since the Grim Reaper campaign shocked Australians into the reality of HIV and AIDS, yet unfortunately the message came too early for anyone under the age of 25 to remember,” Ms Dvorak said.
“With young Australians the most at risk group for STIs, we need to get the message out there that condom use and regular STI checkups is vital.
“The statistics are proof that we are at crisis stage and the Federal Government needs to act now and lead the way with a national sex education strategy and a hard-hitting public health campaign designed by youth and aimed at youth.
“The fact is that many young people are having unprotected sex - ignoring the problem and shifting the responsibility for addressing it won’t make it go away, but educating them on the risks will help contain it.”
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About Marie Stopes International: Marie Stopes International is a not-for-profit sexual and reproductive healthcare provider, with centres in the ACT, Queensland, New South Wales and Western Australia. The organisation offers a range of services, including abortion, vasectomy, sexually transmitted infection check-ups and contraception. Surplus proceeds from Australian activities support the work of the Marie Stopes International Partnership, which delivers sexual and reproductive health services to over four million people in 37 countries worldwide.
For media enquiries contact: Samantha Smith, Public Relations 0421 097 150
