Rise in STDs among young Swedes: report

There is a thing called a condom, Sweden, Volvo & the Gov. wont protect you from everything.

This is the direct result of Sweden being perhaps the most sexually liberal country in the world. It's a free for all, with no religion, few morals, 'sambos' instead of married couples, and 'sex education' in schools, which, in the words of Peter Hitchens, is really just 'propoganda for promiscuity'. In some respects, Sweden is the most amoral society in the world.

@Achilles7

You really have it all backwards, don't you?

Religion prohibits condom use, yet religious people are every bit as promiscuous as non-religious types. Marriage is no assurance of anything...something you will learn when you grow up. Sex education in schools is necessary to help stave off such STD epidemics, but unfortunately it is underfunded and the teachers often lack the knowledge to teach it effectively. If we were to eliminate sex education altogether as you advise, though, we would see some real outbreaks.

Let me give you some perspective from the following site: http://www.avert.org/std-statistics-america.htm

Look at the top ten for gonorrhea. Notice that seven of the top ten gonorrhea rate states are southern states. Look at Mississippi. With 246 cases of gonorrhea and a population under three million, that state compare unfavorably with Sweden's 590 cases out of nearly ten million citizens. In other words, the rate is much higher in Mississippi. The top-ten for chlamydia and syphilis are also dominated by, surprise, the southern states. Why do you think that is? By your reasoning, their traditionally conservative and religious values (with an aversion to condoms and sex education in school) along with high marriage rates would put their STD rates lower than states such as...oh, I don't know...say California. Note that Cali is not on any list, yet Cali is often pegged as a pagan mecca with gays frolicking in the streets naked.

Basically, what I am saying is that you are an idiot. Now take your conservative religious ideas and stick them where the sun don't shine.

Why have u posted the photo of an indian couple?

@StockholmSam the rate is much higher in Mississippi because its mostly black. Statistics show that STDs is highest amongst blacks.

@zhanna2

Yes, but it is not their skin color that is the mitigating factor; it is their economic situation. In other words, the rise in STD rates are greatest in the poorer social structures and blacks are over-represented in those segments. A black man from a middle- or upper-class background with a university degree and a good job is no more likely to pick up an STD than a white man in a similar situation, so the skin color link is non-existent. Yet poor people, regardless of skin color, are more prone to STDs. And what is the reason for that? Well, they are less educated, generally, meaning they dropped out of high-school and therefore did not get sex ed. Also, statistics show that there is a direct inverse relationship between the earning power of a family and its devotion to religion, meaning that the poor are more apt to claim a religious affiliation and hence shun the use of condoms even when they are willing to sin in other ways, although I admit the differences are small (though significant). Therefore, the poor are having sex with other under-educated religious people. This all goes against Achilles7's theory that it is a moral issue. Clearly, it is an issue of economics, access to decent sex education in school, and a decision to use or not to use condoms.

Why the photo is of an Indian couple where hardy anyone has sex before an arranged marriage?

@Stockholm, what has race or skin colour got to do with the increasing STD cases among the young swedes mentioned by the writer of this article? You are a compound fool for trying to betray your ignorance on your comment.

@Strictly

You obviously did not read all of the comments in this thread. Go back and read them then you will see the context of my response. If you still cannot grasp it, then I will point you directly to Zhanna2's post, which is #5 on the list. That is after #4 and before #6. Best of luck to ya, Cletus.

I wonder if this has anything to do with the influx of third-world immigrants who bring these diseases with them? No, of course it doesn't... that would be a racist statement! Let's be safe and say it's an "economic situation" this way even the most liberal people, who know the truth deep down inside can feel better about themselves.

@HungarianAmerican1975 Unfortunately it seems that any microbiological screening for those newly arrived does not exist. Consequently It makes epidemiological situation in Sweden unsettling in regard to STD and more serious infections like tuberculosis, HIV etc. The future of this country is dim.

I could support automatic medical screening of all immigrants to identify and treat communicable diseases before the applicant is granted entry. Not a bad idea, really, and quite logical. But where do most of these immigrants referred to by HungarianAmerican1975 come from? The latent inference is those coming from developing regions...Africa, Eastern Europe and the Middle East. Uh-oh...guess what? Those people are generally poorer than their western counterparts, and the societies they come from are quite superstitious (aka religious) when it comes to condoms. Sex Ed in Somalia? I don't think so.

@StockholmSam,

I'm afraid you have it all backwards, my dear boy.

Sex education is a relatively recent development in schools. And since the introduction of sex education, there have been more STDs and more teenage/unwanted pregnancies than ever before. How many STDs were there in the 60s? The term was practically unheard of. Sex is everywhere now: through the television it comes, through the internet it comes, through magazines it comes; it makes up the lyrics to all the songs on the radio, etc. This is why children (and they are children) are having so much promiscuous sex - because they live in such a sexualised society, where they have come to believe that sleeping around, having meaningless, drunken, one-night stands without being faithful to anybody, is just 'normal' behaviour. 20 years ago, this sort of behaviour would have been heavily frowned upon by almost everybody (not just the religious types) but now if you speak out against such behaviour you are labelled a 'prude' or 'old-fashioned'. Well, that's what you get for living in the most liberal country in the world.

"yet religious people are every bit as promiscuous as non-religious types". Well a lot of Christians believe in no sex before marriage, so this statement is just patently false.

And lastly, calling somebody an 'idiot' over the internet just because you don't agree with their opinion is rather childish, cowardly and pathetic. I suggest you grow up.

@stockholm sam. Continue to delude yourself by thinkin that this is an immigrant issue. Sweden is synonymouus with proscuimity. When u go out of sweden u will find out. Our system has killed morality. Swedish marriage is not the proper marriage. It is like a drive thro Mc donald marriage, where u pick a lady in the disco and marry on the way home. I am talking about christian or cultural guided marriage that forbid sex before marriage. That will be absurd to u, but i am one of them. Sweden is One of the most immoral in the world. Marriage is an assurance Jose. Look at Uganda. Hiv has dropped by a third as a result of marriage and not condom. Circumcision is helping a great deal in SA. These are facts.

Comparing technological developed sweden with missisipi is absurd. They said std is incrasing in sweden and not greater. Have we also wondered that sweden is one of the top 5 in teenage suicide rates. @stockholm i hope u wake up to reality soon

@Stockholm, i am sorry, it was a mistaken identity, my comments were meant for Zhannas2. Thanks for your kind reply!

I think this has to do with the fact that Swedes travel to South East Asia, like Thailand, more than they did like 30 years ago. A lot of the Swedish men infected with gonorrea for example got it there. Maybe from visiting prostitutes?

Re. Message #14

Prince T - finally some common sense - thank you.

@ Prince T

Sweden top 5 in teenage suicides? Not true. More like top 57 or something like that;

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1414751/table/T1/

In our school system we are taught around age 10 about the use of condoms. It is drilled into use daily about using protection when engaging in sex. I just don't understand why Sweden doesn't emphasize the use of condoms when engaging in sex? Both the men and women need to be responsible and use the proper protection against STD's and unwanted pregnancies.

International sucide rates statistics

China 1

Norway 5

Finland 6

Sweden 12

U are wrong @emerentia.

During tsunami. 5000 pple from sweden were involved compared to england and germany that were not up to 500. What are they doing there. Not only prostitutes but also to abuse small children.

Prince T, you are just listing some random numbers, what do they mean, where is your source? Or did you just made those up?

Let's compare Sweden with the US. Rate per 100,000. The numbers are the population in total, in the parentheses are the people in the age 15-19.

Syphilis: US: 4.3 (6.4) SW: 0,8. (0.6)

Gonorrhea: US:125.1 (571,8) SW: 2,8 (1,8)

Chlamydia: US:192.6 (1,131.6) SW: 156 (569,6)

http://www.guttmacher.org/pubs/journals/3202400.html

There are many countries, even very religious ones, that have a much bigger problem with STD:s and suicides than Sweden.

To StockholmS, post #12 - i don't know why are you comparing Eastern Europe with Africa and Middle east? Your ignorance has no limits? You should try to read and learn somethings about some countrys from Eastern Europe before you make such affirmations. In those country ( christian ones, I mean) it is sex ed in schools and the people are much cleaner the africans and others! And they know about condoms and birth control, you know?? Ha! Supperstitions! Hi,hi,hi!!!!

About the subject - education and interest from the parents side.

@Achilles7 (#13)

"How many STDs were there in the 60s? The term was practically unheard of. "

The fact that the term was practically unheard of is the exact problem. Doctors knew full well about STDs but the public knew far less about them. There was much more shame involved and much less knowledge. Therefore, the numbers cannot be relied on from fifty years ago because people did not get tested as often as they do today. In other words, we can only guess the true magnitude of the STD epidemic from that era.

"Well a lot of Christians believe in no sex before marriage, so this statement is just patently false."

What Christians claim to believe in and what they actually DO are two different things. How many people of any faith have you heard of that behave in direct opposition of their professed beliefs? Happens all the time.

I can agree with you that modern industrialized (mainly western) societies are highly sexualized, and that is certainly unfortunate. I would like to see that changed. But my main point is that if you look at the numbers, you clearly see that the rates of STD infection are often higher in areas that are more aligned with your morality of religious belief and no sex education. I stand by my opinion that sex education is necessary to combat the spread of STDs and religious fervor inhibits such progress.

THe demise of fingering amongst the youth is responsible.

straight in with sex nowadays.

http://www.health.gov.au/internet/main/publishing.nsf/content/1D2B4E895BCD429ECA2572290027094D/$File/intsui.pdf

Please check page 19 and you will see the world rankings.

I am actually talking of teenage sucide rates and not general sucides. Acorrding to Psychology today, we have moved up to top 5. the data that we posted was for 2002