Prevention of HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases:

The major sexually transmitted infections are HIV/AIDS, syphilis, chancroid, gonorrhoea, etc. The prevention and control measures for both HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted infections are the same. Prevention of HIV contributes to the prevention of the other STIs and vice versa. Here are the preventive and control measures you have already learned in the previous session in this module. These HIV/AIDS and STIs prevention and control measures include:-

• ABC prevention strategy
• A - Abstinence - abstain from sexual intercourse before and outside marriage;
• B - Be faithful - sexual intercourse between two HIV/AIDS laboratory test free sexual partners based on faithful one-to-one relationship;
• C - Condom use - use condom properly and consistently;
• Don‘t ever share cutting and sharp instruments for use at home and anywhere.
• Advice and follow up patients who are sick from sexually transmitted diseases to go to nearest health facility.
• Don‘t use the services of legally uncertified health facilities.
• Refrain from harmful traditional practices that expose to HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases.
• Keep clean the areas around genitals.
• Advise and motivate suspected young individuals to go to health facilities and use HIV/AIDS counselling and testing services and
• Provide support and care with affection to people living with HIV/AIDS and victims at family and community levels.

Prevention of female genital mutilation

Female genital mutilation is a practice of cutting or manipulating female external genitalia. It is essential to prevent and eventually eliminate the harmful traditional practices of mutilation of female genitals. The choice of intervention would be to provide sustained and adequate information and awareness creation on reproductive health consequences of female genital mutilation. This could be realised through the coordination and support of the Kebele management, religious leaders, schools, women and youth associations, other government organisations, NGOs and the communities at large.

Prevention of high-risk abortion

The youth engages in casual sex in the absence of adequate knowledge on sex and reproductive health and often without contraceptive methods. This predisposes the young female to the risk of unplanned pregnancy. Consequently, the young females are exposed to traditional practices of illegal and high-risk abortion resulting in illness, disability and death.

Activities to prevent and control high-risk abortion

The specific preventive activities are the following:

• Increase awareness of the youth on sex abstinence and healthy behaviours that reduce reproductive health problems including abortion.
• Because of casual sexual motive, young females are frequently subjected to rape and unwanted pregnancy which leads to illegal abortion. Therefore, they should be educated and convinced strongly to commit themselves to utilise contraceptive methods to prevent unwanted pregnancy.
• The youth should effectively learn about family life and sex.
• Educate the youth to abstain from sex before marriage.
• Educate the youth to stick on one-to-one sex partnership as an important option and condom use in case of unforeseen circumstances.
• Conduct frank discussions on sex with friends and family.
• Provide adequate information and education on the complex consequences of abortion on the female youth.
• Motivate and mobilise the youth in the farmers association to establish health clubs that promote sex abstinence, healthy reproduction and healthy sex behaviour among the youth.

Prevention of early-age marriage

Marriage in Ethiopia is often practised according to established traditional practices and norms in different nations and nationalities. In the rural areas, however, it is common practice by families to marry their young girls at an early age.

Early-age marriage focused preventive interventions

Some of the measures applied to prevent early age marriage include the following.

• Families should receive sustained and adequate information and education on this harmful traditional practice and their deadly consequences.
• Disseminate and promote information on the legal age limit for marriage in the rural areas.
• The government organisations and NGOs, should work with the participation of the communities in disseminating information and education related to the harmful traditional practices.
• Religious organisations should work on the prevention of early age marriage in villages, churches, mosques, meeting places with the participation of communities and interested groups.
• Organize seminars, conferences, workshops etc to raise awareness on early age marriage during public holidays and other occasions.
• Invite important personalities and groups to give lectures to sensitise the public on the harmfulness of early age marriage and related consequences.