PORT MORESBY, 18 December 2008 (IRIN) - Papua New Guinea (PNG) has one of the highest prevalence rates of HIV and sexually transmitted infections (STIs) in the Asia-Pacific region. The lack of awareness about safer sex, particularly among the youth, is recognised as a particular problem.

Three months ago, Marie Stopes International (MSI), which provides sexual and reproductive healthcare services, set up a telephone hotline, 'Yangpela', to provide callers with information and, where necessary, refer them to MSI's clinic.

Idau Ghou, 28, handles calls for MSI at their small office in the PNG capital, Port Moresby. She talked to PlusNews about her experiences while working on the hotline.

"I found it at first difficult to communicate with people on issues of sex and reproductive health, pregnancy, STIs and HIV/AIDS. I didn't have a medical background, but from what I learned at Marie Stopes I managed to cope, and now I'm really enjoying it.   "As a young person I'm really learning a lot from the questions people ask regarding sex and reproductive health. The most common questions are about pregnancy.

"From the signs and symptoms they tell us, we refer young people to our centre to see our doctor. STI questions are also common. We tell them 'It's not normal if you have that kind of discharge from the vagina or penis'. I tell them they should come to our clinic for a proper medical check.   "As young people they hide from their parents when they are pregnant, or know they have an STI, but when we do referrals we tell them, 'it's just between you and our medical team; it's private'.   "So many people text [SMS] back or call back and thank us for what we've done - they've been through medical treatment and are well now.   "I remember a young girl who was a student at Gordon's Secondary school [in Port Moresby]. She was complaining about the [symptoms of an] STI. She didn't know she had that, but the signs she gave [suggested it].

"She called me when she was outside the centre, she told me what she was wearing and asked me to take her in [to the centre], in case her relatives saw her.

"She was so scared. She saw the doctor and was treated. I came back to the hotline room and I was feeling really sorry for her, that she was hiding from her parents and relatives.   "Many males say they don't like using condoms, they say they want [sex] 'flesh to flesh'. We explain what condom use is for, that you'll protect yourself from HIV/AIDS, STIs and unwanted pregnancies, so they have an understanding of the purpose, but I feel few use condoms.   "They call up and ask if there are other ways [of protection] so they can avoid using condoms. We say, 'that's the only thing we have for avoiding STIs, HIV/AIDS and unwanted pregnancies'." 

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