By: Paulina Chiyombo
Despite many interventions by a number of non-governmental organizations providing in sexual reproductive health, statistics from Karonga District Heathy Office show that many youths continue to contract sexually transmitted infections with over 150 cases being registered every month.
There are concerns that youth in the district only use contraceptives that prevent pregnancy but not sexually transmitted infections.
In an interview, one of the youths in the District Emmanuel Moyo said young people do not like to use condoms.
He said: “Most of the youth say they don’t enjoy using contraceptives and they think their partners are not trusting them.”
But another young person Abigal Mwafongo said some contract these STIs because of lack of knowledge about the available options for protection.
She said: “For those people who have full knowledge on these contraceptives, they are benefiting from it, most especially for those who use condoms because they protect themselves both from STIs and pregnancies.”
In an interview, Council youth representative David Kitalo, said young people should not only think of pregnancies when getting contraceptives but also look at STIS.
“They should condomize because they will be protected from both,” he said.
Kitalo further appealed to the government to introduce more youth friendly healthy service places, because some youth are not comfortable to go into government hospitals to access the services because they are uncomfortable.
