TEACHING youths about sexual and reproductive health is vital so that they are aware of pregnancy, contraception and especially sexually transmitted diseases .
“It is better than leaving them in the dark and learning from untrustworthy sources, or finding out on their own without any guidance or awareness about the risk of STDs.” He said this when asked to comment on a news article published by a healthcare portal, CodeBlue, quoting Health Minister Dr Zaliha Mustafa as saying that 22.4% of 1,819 new gonorrhoea cases involved adolescents aged below 21.
“There are suggestions to include sex education in the curriculum but I believe we have to do more than that – NGOs, parents, schools and government agencies need to work together to address this matter before it becomes more serious. “We are currently discussing the matter with the education and health departments, and once we have the green light, we will be able to conduct awareness programmes for youth in schools.