Sir, - Dr Louise Pomeroy (April 2nd) is to be congratulated for highlighting the current level of public awareness regarding sexually transmitted infections (STIs). This country faces a choice in how we are to react to the alarming rise in cases. We can sit back and allow an epidemic of STIs to take hold (as has happened in the US, where over 40,000 people are infected with an STI every day).
On the other hand, we can mount a national campaign involving not just the media but all sectors of society, including those in the highest levels of government. Peter Piot, executive director of the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) has stated: "Countries that have adopted forward-looking strategies to fight the epidemic are reaping the rewards in the form of falling incidence."
The warning signs are there. If similar information on foot-and-mouth disease been available, one wonders how the government might have reacted. - Yours, etc.,
Richard Carson, Health Education Manager, ACET (AIDS Care Education and Training), PO Box 3400, Dublin 14.