A nurse working with teenagers in Solomon Islands says young people need to take more responsibility for their sexual health to avoid climbing rates of disease and unwanted pregnancies.
The youth clinical nurse for the adolescent health development project in Honiara, Alfred Ngire-Hendy, says statistics he's collected show rates of sexually transmitted diseases are increasing rapidly.
He says teenagers are only showing up at clinics when they're already infected.
He says young people need to learn about prevention and what he calls the ABC's of reproductive health.
"A stands for abstinency, B is be faithfull to one's sexual partner, and C stands for condom. And condom is good mostly because it prevents both, like STI, sexually transmitted infection, and as well, unplanned pregnancy."
Alfred Ngire-Hendy says his message for young people to remember tomorrow on International Youth Day is their health is in their own hands and they need to make responsible decisions.
