Australians Accuse UK Backpackers of Spreading STIs
Australians have blamed British backpackers for a rise in the number of people testing positive for sexually transmitted infections.
The Sydney Sexual Health Care Center has conducted an 8-year study into the sexual behaviour of backpackers coming from the UK and Ireland into Australia and they discovered that the 20-somethings tend to take risks with their health they would not consider at home.
The team say that the travellers tend to routinely engage in binge drinking and unprotected sex.
Nearly 50% of the men who took part in the survey said that they had had more than 2 sexual partners during their last 3 months in Australia while 30% of the women said the same.
50% of all of the backpackers said that they had had a new sexual partner during their time travelling and many said that when they stopped off in Thailand, a popular stopping point between the UK and Australia.
The rise in casual sexual behaviour means that travellers are putting themselves at risk of catching sexually transmitted infections like chlamydia and gonorrhoea.
Though chlamydia can be easily treated with a course of antibiotics, usually azithromycin, and gonorrhoea responds to cefixime and doxycline, many people carrying the virus do not get treated.
This is largely due to the fact that chlamydia and gonorrhoea are often symptomless, so sufferers do not realise they should get tested.
Despite large-scale campaigns to raise awareness about the infections, many are still not getting regular STD tests.
Professor Basil Donovan, one of the lead authors of the study, said, "The majority are wearing condoms occasionally, but hardly anyone is using them all the time.
"We need to get a bit more realistic about how we get the message across.
" Health experts are eager to crack down on sexually transmitted infections as soon as possible, as they are increasingly becoming resistant to antibiotics.
Scientists have warned that there is a risk that gonorrhoea could become a superbug and not only cease to respond to Cefixime and doxycycline but to most or all antibiotics.
With more and more young Brits travelling abroad in search of beer, fun, and adventures of all kinds, it is clear that the UK authorities need to play their part and ensure that they are going away aware of the risks.
That way, we can ensure that when they return from travelling leaving nothing more behind than good memories and discarded flip-flops.
The Sydney Sexual Health Care Center has conducted an 8-year study into the sexual behaviour of backpackers coming from the UK and Ireland into Australia and they discovered that the 20-somethings tend to take risks with their health they would not consider at home.
The team say that the travellers tend to routinely engage in binge drinking and unprotected sex.
Nearly 50% of the men who took part in the survey said that they had had more than 2 sexual partners during their last 3 months in Australia while 30% of the women said the same.
50% of all of the backpackers said that they had had a new sexual partner during their time travelling and many said that when they stopped off in Thailand, a popular stopping point between the UK and Australia.
The rise in casual sexual behaviour means that travellers are putting themselves at risk of catching sexually transmitted infections like chlamydia and gonorrhoea.
Though chlamydia can be easily treated with a course of antibiotics, usually azithromycin, and gonorrhoea responds to cefixime and doxycline, many people carrying the virus do not get treated.
This is largely due to the fact that chlamydia and gonorrhoea are often symptomless, so sufferers do not realise they should get tested.
Despite large-scale campaigns to raise awareness about the infections, many are still not getting regular STD tests.
Professor Basil Donovan, one of the lead authors of the study, said, "The majority are wearing condoms occasionally, but hardly anyone is using them all the time.
"We need to get a bit more realistic about how we get the message across.
" Health experts are eager to crack down on sexually transmitted infections as soon as possible, as they are increasingly becoming resistant to antibiotics.
Scientists have warned that there is a risk that gonorrhoea could become a superbug and not only cease to respond to Cefixime and doxycycline but to most or all antibiotics.
With more and more young Brits travelling abroad in search of beer, fun, and adventures of all kinds, it is clear that the UK authorities need to play their part and ensure that they are going away aware of the risks.
That way, we can ensure that when they return from travelling leaving nothing more behind than good memories and discarded flip-flops.
Source...