We live in a world of technology which in terms of accessing information is a positive move. However, access to this technology does have an impact on human relationships. Whether this is distancing families from one another whilst they spend time on their mobile phones or even putting people at higher risk of medical issues such as sexually transmitted infections.
Health experts are rightly concerned that the number of dating apps that are now available is one of the reasons for an increase in infections such as HIV and Chlamydia. Some of the apps available allow you to simply swipe in one direction if you like the look of a person and the other if you don’t. They then allow for a text interaction between the two parties and the organization of a casual meeting.
Experts in this field of health are calling for these apps to be held more accountable for ensuring that they encourage the safe sex message as well as making sure that people are aware of the places in which they can get testing should they feel that they have been put at risk of infection. This could be a local sexual health clinic or from places such as https://www.bexleysexualhealth.org/home_sti_kits/ that offer Home STI kits.
Chlamydia
A Public Health England report revealed that there were 447,694 STI cases diagnosed in England in 2018. The most commonly diagnosed STI was chlamydia, with 131,269 cases in just 15 to 24 years old and 218,095 cases in total across England.
Chlamydia, which is passed from one person to another through sexual contact without the use of a condom, is particularly common in teenagers and young adults. There was a 2 percent increase in the number of 15 to 24-year-olds diagnosed with Chlamydia in just a year between 2017 and 2018 and this has been on the increase over a number of years.
Symptoms of chlamydia can be hard to spot, which is why testing is so important, but include:
Men
– Swelling in the testicles.
– Pain when urinating.
– Unusual discharge from the penis.
Women
– Pain in the stomach.
– Pain when urinating.
– Bleeding after sex or between periods.
– Unusual discharge from the vagina.
Chlamydia is easily treated with a short course of antibiotics; however, if left untreated, it can cause serious complications, including infertility and arthritis.
Changing times
It is hard to put a figure on the exact number of people who meet sexual partners through dating apps; however, the Online Dating Association says that as many as 40 percents of relationships start online in one way or another.
Dating apps are hitting back, however, with officials from one of the UK’s most popular apps saying the rise in STIs is not down to its platforms but to changing social trends and attitudes towards the acceptable number of sexual partners.
Regardless of why the increase is happening it is evident that all sectors of society need to have a combined approach in order to help protect our young adults in particular from the emotional, psychological and physical impact of contracting sexually transmitted infections.
