Educators should provide students with more information on reproductive health issues - specialist

February 16, Vitebsk / Olga Bogacheva - BELTA /. Informing schoolchildren on reproductive health issues in educational institutions is at a low level. This opinion was expressed today to journalists by Viktor Spiridonov, chief physician of the Vitebsk Regional Clinical Dermatovenerologic Dispensary, at a press conference dedicated to the Unified Health Day "Prevention of Sexually Transmitted Infections," which will be held in Belarus on February 18, reports a BELTA correspondent. According to Viktor Spiridonov, there is a problem with conveying information on the prevention of sexually transmitted infections and the main ways to protect one's health in schools. Statistics confirm this: more than 50% of patients with venereal diseases in the Vitebsk region are aged 15-29. The problem needs to be solved through joint efforts of medical professionals and education system specialists, Viktor Spiridonov emphasized. In this regard, it is necessary to inform schoolchildren before puberty. "After training events with reproductive health specialists, teachers should participate in this work, as they do not require in-depth knowledge - they only need to convey basic information to children in an accessible form on how to maintain their health," the doctor explained. Viktor Spiridonov recalled that since 2000, a regional program for the protection of youth reproductive health has been operating in the region, within the framework of which thematic meetings, lectures, and round tables are organized. "However, mainly school doctors or nurses are involved in them, and their workload does not allow them to cover all students with this work and conduct it on a regular basis," the specialist stated. -0-