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A NEW NATIONWIDE survey of students in Ireland has found that three out of four students have had unprotected sex, while 70 per cent of students surveyed said they had never been tested for sexually transmitted infection.
One thousand students around the country were surveyed by the Union of Students in Ireland, the HSE Crisis Pregnancy Programme, MSD and Durex ahead of the Sexual Health Advice and Guidance (SHAG) week which begins in colleges today.
Of those 1,000 students, 86 per cent said they were sexually active and over one-third (38 per cent) said that they or a partner had taken the morning after pill.
Acting director of the HSE Crisis Pregnancy Programme Dr Stephanie O’Keeffe said that young people continue to ignore the risks associated with unprotected sex.
“Research tells us that 18-24-year-olds know about the importance of using contraception,” O’Keeffe said, “but fail to use it consistently and often take risks, particularly when sex is not planned for.”
“It is critical that sexually active adults take responsibility for using condoms and other contraceptive methods correctly and consistently to help prevent an unplanned pregnancy and protect against sexually transmitted infections,” she added.
Over 40,000 SHAG packs including information on sexual health, contraception and STI testing will be distributed at Irish colleges throughout the week.
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I feel so so so sad.Mark came to speak to my school a few years ago. He was a friend of my teacher.,He was great craic and really motivated us, Its awful to hear he is now paralysed, I hope alot of money is raised for him
Unlucky guy, fair play to him for being so positive.
Massive respect to Mark. I heard him on the radio a few weeks ago, a tragic yet inspiring story. We can all learn from his postivity and fortitude. Keep fighting, fella.
I was feeling under the weather today and this story put things into perspective. I will do the run if we can get further details….
Hi Simon – Mark will be delighted to hear it – I put the link to the website with all the details in the article above so readers could easily click through. It is http://www.run4mark.com. Good luck with it!
I watched the programme with Mark in it last year,what a cruel twist of fate Mark has had to endure,losing his sight,and then becoming paraylaysed,and not once have I ever heard him complain.he’s a testament to the words bravery,I really hope everyone can get involved and help Mark in anyway they can.
A total gentleman. Everyone should do all they can for him. I struggled in a fitness test recently and thought of marks journey to the pole…… I found the strength to finish the course.
Where does he get his strength from. It’s amazing
What an inspiration, did he ever get married!
i saw a story today of an ipad2 sold for $5million.
what a waste when causes like marks could benefit from the donations etc…
best of luck with the run, id take part only i suffer with chronic back pain
I’ve shared the link http://www.run4mark.com on other websites that I use. Who knows, someone out there might cough up a load of money to help this young man deal with this new challenge. Mark sounds amazing.
Jaysus, blind n paralysed………
What a fukin trooper.
We all give out for not havin enuf money or cool accessories- try this mans shoes on for the day ( no pun intended)
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