ASHA continues to deliver accurate, reliable sexual health information to
millions of people worldwide, via hotlines, state-of-the-art Web sites,
responsive e-mail services , and a variety of education programs.

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Now we will
take precautions. PRISM hopes to expand the program to diamond mines, where the
practice is also prevalent. A complete discussion of condom
guidelines is available from ASHA at http://www. ASHA's online material was recommended
recently in a condom write-up by Consumer Reports.

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"
"Humans are sexual beings.
* More than 60 million people in the US are living with a viral sexually
transmitted infection such as genital herpes.
Despite over 20 years of extensive condom-based "comprehensive" sexuality
education, 1 out of 4 sexually active teens gets an STD each year.

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BOSTON, "Governor Romney has taken an important
step on behalf of the youth of Massachusetts, ensuring that federal dollars
designated to support abstinence education will be used in the classroom,
helping youth avoid early sexual activity," said Rebecca Ray, director of
Healthy Futures, an abstinence education program that has worked with over
5000 students in more than 30 Massachusetts schools.

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KANKAN, Guinea, A common, yet risky practice among
gold miners in rural Guinea to engage in short "marriages" with women working
briefly at the mine is the target of an innovative health communication
program that educates both women and miners about how to prevent HIV and other
sexually transmitted diseases.quierosaber.

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So far , the mining program has been launched in four prefectures -
Kerouane, Kourroussa, Mandiana and Siguiri - and has been well-received at the
national level as well as by community members. As a result, sex happens by
default, not through an active choice. Recently, press coverage has
swirled around the scandal at Milton Academy.

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"This is the first time people spoke in public about sex, STDs , HIV, and
foudoukoudouni," said Mariame Fofana, who lives in one of the mining
communities.

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"But we do know from
health workers in the region that STDs and HIV are a growing problem because
of this age-old custom."
The basic prevention message is to abstain, be faithful, or use a condom."
This HIV/STD prevention program is the work of PRISM ("Pour Renforcer les
Interventions en Sante reproductive et MST/SIDA" or "Strengthening
Interventions in Reproductive Health and STD /AIDS"), a project designed by the
U.

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With representatives in more than 30 countries , Johns Hopkins' CCP is a
leader in the field of strategic, evidence-based communication programs for
behavior change and health promotion that have helped transform the theory and
practice of public health communication.

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Innovative HIV/STD Prevention Program Targets Risky Brief 'Marriages' in Rural Guinean Gold Mining Camps

To learn more
about ASHA, visit http://www.

Governor Romney Helps Teens by Directing Abstinence Education Funds to Support Classroom Programs

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Foudoukoudouni is the word in Malinke - a West African language - for
short marriage, which often occurs between women cleaning gold and the men
responsible for digging the mines. The U.

'Love Safely' Is Public Health Message for Valentine's Day

Educational resources on sex.

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org.
Indeed, while research into abstinence education is a relatively new field,
several studies have shown promising results, revealing that abstinence
education programs are succeeding in lowering sexual activity rates and
delaying the initiation of sexual activity among youth.

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According to a study of miners conducted in 2001 , 52 percent said they
have contracted a sexually transmitted disease and 43 percent said they are
not faithful to their regular partners.ashastd.
"Our work and the work of countless abstinence education programs
nationwide are proving that teens can and are choosing to avoid sexual
activity and all of its associated risks.

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In upper Guinea where the program is concentrated, bartenders, tailors ,
hair stylists, and other young adults are also trained as peer educators.
MSH, a leading international organization working in more than 60
countries, contributes to saving lives and improving health by helping public
and private organizations worldwide to manage people, money, medicines, and
systems. "With more than 18
million new cases of sexually transmitted infections each year , we must access
every available option to stem the tide of this epidemic. Abstinence and monogamy are important public
health messages, but to think these messages alone will fix the problem is
shortsighted at best and dangerous at worst," states Allen.org
(Spanish-language site for teens).

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ASHA was established 90 years ago as a nonprofit organization devoted to
STD prevention. The organization remains at the forefront of efforts to create
a social environment that promotes responsible sexual behavior and improves
the health of people, families, and communities.

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Agency for International Development (USAID) with the Government of
Guinea.

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"I really think people will change their behavior following this
campaign.S.
"Too often, arguments of morality get in the way of sound public health, "
says James R.org,
http://www."

Healthy Futures' education programs in Greater Boston and Lowell teach
teens about the benefits of abstinence until entering a faithful, lifelong
relationship , and equip them to make and sustain that choice.

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Another 14 percent said they do not
believe HIV exists, while 27 percent believe condoms do not work. The American Social Health Association Urges
Condom Education and Use

RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N. We know that youth are capable
of much better decisions.

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The National AIDS Committee
head, Dr . "Research
continues to demonstrate that condoms -- used consistently and correctly --
are one of the best tools in the prevention of STDs, including HIV. Clearly, so does Governor Romney.

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"Foudoukoudouni is a very risky practice occurring in an extremely rural
area of Guinea, where data on HIV and STD prevalence are scarce," said
Guillaume Bakadi, CCP's Resident Advisor on the project. Djelo Barry, sponsored the Mandiana launch and speaks out publicly
about the risks of brief marriages.ashastd.

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and Guinean governments are
behind this prevention program, which is implemented by Management Sciences
for Health (MSH) in partnership with Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public
Health/ Center for Communication Programs (CCP).
Guinea is a mostly Muslim, male-dominated society and speaking openly
about sexual matters can be controversial.C. Allen, MD, MPH, ASHA's president + CEO."

Here are the facts:
* Every year, there are more than 18 million new cases of STDs.

Incorrect use of condoms can be a problem. Abstinence
is a solution to this epidemic .
Abstinence education works, contrary to spurious attacks by opponents.

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S.
The project employs theater groups, street shows, community outreach
activities with peer educators, and girls' soccer tournaments to get the word
out."
A miner, Amara Diakite, echoed her comments, saying, "Before PRISM arrived,
I did not know anything about the consequences of foudoukoudouni., The national
nonprofit that chose Valentine's Day as National Condom Day is sticking by its
message: Love safely-passion and prevention are both important.
The American Social Health Association (ASHA), a 90-year-old nonprofit
dedicated to sexually transmitted disease (STD) prevention, says condom use
remains a cornerstone of the public health response to this nation's STD
epidemic. Tragically, "comprehensive " sex education
programs offer only a cursory acknowledgement of abstinence. "Students often
tell me that sex is expected in relationships. Teens need to hear that abstinence is a
viable alternative and be encouraged and taught how to choose an abstinent
lifestyle," said Ray.

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* Over the course of a lifetime, at least one in four Americans will
contract an STD.
Ray was responding to action taken yesterday by the Governor recommending
that the Fiscal Year 2005 Supplemental Appropriations bill be amended to state
that funds dedicated to abstinence education in the Department of Public
Health be used solely for classroom education.