1. SEXUALLY TRANSMITTED INFECTIONS
IN YOUNG PEOPLE

2. Aim of the session
The aim of the session is to provide an overview
of the unit including the objectives

3. Unit Objectives
• Describe the regional and national estimates of STIs
in young people
• List and explain factors contributing to STIs in young
people
• Name the consequences of STIs in young people
• List the factors preventing young people with STIs
from seeking help
• Identify key aspects of good diagnosis and
management practice in young people
• Identify the role of health care providers in STI
prevention

4. THE SCOPE OF STIs IN YOUNG PEOPLE
Aim of the session
To present the scope of sexually transmitted
infections (STIs) among young people
regionally and nationally.

5. REGIONAL AND NATIONAL ESTIMATES OF
STIS IN YOUNG PEOPLE
• Every year more than one out of 20 adolescents
contract a curable STI, not including viral infections
• Young people are getting infected with STIs at a
younger age
• Of the estimated 333 million new STIs that occur in the
world every year, at least one third occur in young
people under 25 years.
• More than half of new HIV infections globally (over
6,500 each day) are among young people aged 10-24
years.

6. Self Reported STIs among Young people in
Malawi (MDHS 2004)
• 7.7% and 8.6% of young females and males respectively
aged 15-19 years old report having symptoms of STIs
• 9.5% and 5.6% of young females and males respectively
aged 20-24 years old report having symptoms of STIs.
• The prevalence is higher in urban areas compared to
rural areas
• Within regions, the prevalence of STIs is higher in the
southern region especially in the districts of Zomba,
Mulanje, Thyolo and Blantyre

7. • What do local data show on STIs among
adolescents in your community?

8. Factors Contributing to STIs in Young
People
Aim of the session
To identify the factors which contribute to
sexually transmitted infections among young
people?

9. Factors Affecting Adolescents’ Exposure
to STIs
• Experimentation is a normal part of
adolescent development but it exposes them
to risk
• Adolescent boys often feel they have to prove
themselves sexually
• Adolescents’ sexual relations are often
unplanned, sporadic and, sometimes, the
result of coercion or force

10. Adolescents’ sexual relations typically
occur before they have:
• Adequate information about STIs and how to
avoid contracting these infections
• Experience and skills to protect themselves
• Access to services and supplies (such as
condoms)

11. Why are adolescent girls especially
vulnerable?
• Young girls are more vulnerable than young men and adults
because of biological factors, as well as social/cultural factors
Biological factors include:
• Inadequate mucosal defense mechanisms and the immature
lining of the cervix provide a poor barrier against infection;
• The thin lining and relatively low acidity in the vagina render
it more susceptible to infection.
Social/cultural factors. There is growing recognition that
adolescent girls are more vulnerable than men (young and
older) and adult women for both social and economic
reasons. For instance, they may be coerced into having sex by
adults who interact with them such as relatives, family friends
or others.

12. Are adolescents in your area / country more
vulnerable than adults to STIs?

13. The Consequences of STIs in Young People
Aim of the session
To present the consequences of STIs among
young people.

14. Consequences of STIs for young people
• Pelvic inflammatory disease (PID)
• Infertility
• Cancer of the cervix
• Stigma and embarrassment

15. FACTORS HINDERING PROMPT AND
CORRECT DIAGNOSIS OF STIs IN YOUNG
PEOPLE
Aim of the session
To discuss challenges that health service
providers face in providing young people with
prompt and effective treatment.

16. In your opinion, what do young people do
when they know or suspect that they have
STI?

17. Factors hindering adolescents from
seeking help
• STIs may be asymptomatic, especially in young
women
• Adolescents may not be aware that they have
an STI
• Adolescents often lack information about
existing services
• Adolescents may be reluctant to seek help.

18. Management of Young People with STIs
Aim of the session
To discuss special issues that health-care
providers need to be aware of regarding the
management of STIs in young people.

19. Buzz Session
In your opinion, what do young people do when
they know or suspect that they have STI?

20. Factors hindering adolescents from
seeking help
• STIs may be asymptomatic, especially in young
women
• Adolescents may not be aware that they have
an STI
• Adolescents often lack information about
existing services
• Adolescents may be reluctant to seek help.

21. Aim of the session
To discuss special issues that health-care
providers need to be aware of regarding the
management of STIs in young people.

22. Principles of Syndromic Approach to the
Management of STIs apply as follows
• Standardized clinical management
• Based on signs and symptoms
• Laboratory diagnosis not required

23. Important factors to consider when managing
young people with STI
• Being aware of care-seeking practices
• Establishing rapport _ Eliciting information about the nature of
the problem
• Carrying out a physical examination
• Arriving at a diagnosis
• Communicating the diagnosis and its implications, discussing
treatment options, and
• providing treatment
• Responding to psychological needs and helping the individual
deal with any social implications of the problem
• Preventing a recurrence
• Notifying partners

24. GROUP WORK

25. PREVENTION OF STIs IN YOUNG PEOPLE
Aim of the session
To highlight the important contributions of
health-service providers in preventing STIs
among young people.

26. Strategies for preventing infection with
STIs
• Promoting abstinence among young people.
• Promoting safer sex
• Promoting partner notification

27. ROLE PLAYS