Great sex doesn't have to be 'risky sex': AIDS committee

The executive director of the AIDS Committee of Newfoundlandand Labrador says people over 50 need to educate themselves about sexually transmitted infections (STIs) andget tested.

Gerard Yetman saidSTIs have increased in thisprovince over the past two years.Hesaid the education campaign is not condemning people for how they live.

"Enjoy sex, but know how to protect yourself," said Yetman.

• Sexual infections are on the rise among middle-aged Canadians

Sexual health manual for over 50s

Yetman saida sexual health manual titled,"Best Sex in Years: Sex Over 50" is aimed at helping older people enjoy healthy sex lives but to be aware of the risks.

The manual wasproduced byACNLand the province's Seniors Resource Centre andwill be distributed at seniors centres and online.

"A woman goes through menopause and she doesn't worry about getting pregnant any more," said Mary Ennis with the Seniors Resource Centre. "That's a real breeding ground for unprotected sex."

HIV infections in older Canadians are up by 18 per cent, and Yetman saidtesting shows this province is in line with that trend.

He said alot of people in the age group don't think about STIs because they were raising families when the AIDS scare unfolded in the 1980s.

"A lot of people think there's a cure, but it's a treatment," said Yetman. "Snowbirds, for example, are going south and engaging in relations while travelling the single, older person's lifestyle."

Statistics obtained from Eastern Health show seven new HIV cases in the region to date this year, compared to 11 in 2015.

Enjoy sex but know how to protect yourself.- Gerard Yetman, ACNL

Yetman said until about 2013 this province saw three new HIV infections a year, so these numbers are disturbing.

Infectious syphilis cases total 17 so far in 2016, compared with 32 cases in 2015.

25% of HIV cases also have syphilis

In approximately 25 per cent of the syphilis cases, the individuals are also infected with HIV. The ages of those casesrange from 19-63.

"Of those who tested positive for HIV, 30 to 40 percent were aged 43 to 63 years old," saidYetman.

The pop-up testing campaign targeted gay men with banner ads on online dating sites Grinder and Manhunt, in addition to placing ads in gyms.

"Most people are hooking up online and not going out to clubs to hook up anymore," said Yetman. "And a lot of people hook up in gyms."

More testing needed across province

Equally worrying to Yetman is the low rate ofHIV testingbecause there is no communicable disease clinic outside St. John's.

Yetmansays theACNL'sgoal is to get doctors to make HIV testingpart of their patients'annual physical exam.

Dr. Debbie Kelly, a researcher at Memorial University's School of Pharmacy, is involved in a research projectthat will initially offer rapid HIV screeningat two pharmacies in this province and in Alberta.

"Alberta has come on board in partnership with us to look at whether we can make HIV testingmore accessible, and find out if we can do a better job of identifying people who are at risk of HIV infection," said Kelly.

The screening test will usea finger prickblood sample. If the test comes back showing the person is carrying the antibodies for HIV, Kelly says they should then get the standard HIV test.

• Syphilis outbreak reported in eastern Newfoundland

In February, in response to the syphilis outbreak, Eastern Healthalong with a number of partnersheld 13 testing clinics in 10 communities across the region.

Of the 212 people tested, no syphilis was detected, although10percent tested positive for STIs such as chlamydia, gonorrhea and hepatitis B and C.

• HIV rates by province can be found here: