Conference Report

Teesside Sexual Health Conference

The second annual Teesside Sexual Health Conference took place on the 11th March 2001. The event was attended by about ninety delegates from different disciplines and background. The occasion provided an opportunity for these professionals to meet and exchange views on matters of sexual health. The chairman for the occasion was Dr Ian Holtby, a consultant in public health medicine and communicable disease control at Tees Health Authority. The morning session was devoted to lectures while poster viewing and two workshops occupied the afternoon session. There were exhibitions by pharmaceutical companies who provided some sponsorship for the conference. The local member of parliament Dr Ashok Kumar MP made a brief appearance.

The first lecture - Psychosexual problems in men and women was given by Dr Emma Henderson. The lecture commenced with a definition of psychosexual problems and their prevalence. Assessment protocols used to identify the presenting problem, and the determinant of the problem were outlined. Useful psychometric measures, such as the "Golombok Rost Inventory of Sexual Satisfaction" were described. Treatment options for common sexual dysfunction were illustrated with case examples. The cases described highlighted the importance of a multi-disciplinary approach to pyschosexual problems. The lecture concluded with information about local services and helpful resources.

Following this was - The sexual health of adult survivors of child sexual abuse by Sue Richardson. The focus of her talk was child sexual abuse as a health issue. She outlined ways in which the long-term impact of child sexual abuse can present in a range of health settings. A brief overview of the aetiology of common symptoms was provided. The concept of the traumagenic dynamics of abuse (i.e. powerlessness, betrayal, stigmatisation and traumatic sexualisation) was used as a conceptual framework to identify issues affecting adult survivors of access to health care. Practice implications, including training and support for health care professional were discussed. 

Dr Brendan McCarron then gave his lecture on Opportunistic infections in HIV positive patients. Since 1996, the natural history of the disease has dramatically altered and there is now the ability to maintain and even reconstitute the immune system. Highly active anti-retroviral therapy (HAART) has transformed the management of HIV therapy. However the HIV physician has to remain vigilant to detect the development of opportunistic infections (fungal, bacterial, viral or parasitic) due to late diagnosis or HAART failure.

After a coffee break, the fourth lecture - Maternal morbidity and social conditions was given by Professor Kelsey Harrison. The spotlight was on vesico-vaginal fistula (VVF), and injury from prolonged obstructive labour, which occurs under adverse conditions in which the most deprived people in developing countries live. Various data and statistics were given. These showed levels of GDP per capita in different regions of the world, and links with poverty, illiteracy and maternal ill-health were demonstrated.

The last lecture was given by Dr Mike Catchpole, the deputy director at Centre for disease surveillance and control in London. He spoke on The challenge of sexually transmitted infections in modern society: control or eradication?

The struggle between man and microbe has been waged since the earliest recorded times. It is only really in the last one hundred years that man has started to win this struggle. First of all, through the sanitary reforms and general improvements in public health that began towards the end of the nineteenth century, and later through advances in medical interventions such as antibiotic therapy and population-based programmes of vaccination. Towards the end of the twentieth century, however, evidence began to accumulate that the war against communicable disease was far from over, with the emergence of new infections such as HIV, variant CJD and antimicrobial resistant bacteria. We have also seen the re-emergence of diseases such as tuberculosis and most recently rising trends in the venereal diseases of syphilis and gonorrhoea. 

The sexually transmitted infections pose unique challenges to those involved in their control and prevention. The stigma associated with these infections, the asymptomatic nature of many infections, the unique association with human behaviour, and, as yet, the lack of effective vaccines, all conspire against efforts to control or eliminate disease. This presentation will examine the epidemiology of sexually transmitted disease, the determinants of incidence of those diseases and the possible strategies for their control and prevention. Elimination of sexually transmitted infections, as in the case of many other communicable diseases, will probably only be a realistic proposition when effective vaccines become available. Even then, there may be obstacles to elimination, as will be discussed. Until then, control of sexually transmitted infections will require a co-ordinated approach that draws on the existing evidence base for effective interventions and theoretical models of disease epidemiology.

Following lunch the delegates had the opportunity to view some STD and HIV related posters. The two workshops were 1) Communication skills in matters of sexual and reproductive health and 2) Contraception and contraceptives: whose concern is it anyway? All the delegates were divided into three groups - orange, green and yellow. Each group had two facilitators - Dr KC Mohanty; Dr Chris Simpson; and Mrs Lilian Lowery facilitated communication skills, while Professor S Killick; Dr Deborah Beere and Dr Diana Mansour facilitated the contraception workshops. Each workshop lasted 45 minutes with a 10 minute break in-between. This arrangement allowed for all delegates to participate in both workshops.

The final session took place in the lecture theatre. All the facilitators came forward to summarise what took place in their groups and relayed the take home message.

All participants and organisers were thanked by the chairman and this brought the conference to a close. A long but fun-filled day.

Dr Abayomi Opaneye

©2001 Sexual Health Matters. Published Quarterly by Express Print Works, Middlesbrough, UK
ISSN 1469-7556
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