GENERAL STD CONTROL
The major elements of STD control, in addition to effective management of
individual patients, are:
expertise; education; expeditious contact tracing; and, evaluation of epidemiological data.
Expertise
Health authorities in each State and Territory conduct STD centres and clinics to provide an expert service. The centres and clinics generally offer free treatment for patients and provide health workers for contact tracing. They should have access to specialist services such as a gynaecologist, colposcopist, dermatologist and clinical psychologist.
Education concerning STDs should be targeted at:
health care workers (medical students, medical practitioners, nurses, Aboriginal health workers);
high risk individuals (homosexual and bisexual men, prostitutes, intravenous drug users);
school students particularly at secondary level; parents; the general public; and patients and their contacts. Health authorities in States and Territories provide publications on aspects of AIDS and other STDs which may be useful to supplement or reinforce counselling.
*11/56/1*
