Lingerie stores and barbershops are giving out male and female condoms ahead of Valentine’s Day this week.

The initiative was organised by the Department of Health to mark Sexual and Reproductive Health Awareness Day on Friday.

“It’s an annual event, focusing on increasing attention on the importance of sexual and reproductive health issues, recognising that sexual and reproductive health is a core aspect of our identity and an important part of health and wellbeing throughout the life cycle,” Dy-Juan DeRoza, the assessment officer of the Epidemiology and Surveillance Unit, told The Royal Gazette .

“The goal is to encourage people in Bermuda to consider the importance of maintaining reproductive health and talking about healthy decision-making with the people they care about.”

According to Kim Ball, the HIV coordinator, more than 400 bags containing two female and two male condoms were distributed to seven local shops. “We put them in really nice Valentine-themed bags and have a little bit of information about how to have a sexual health conversation for persons to have their conversation with their partner or with their child or with their doctor,” Ms DeRoza added.

Educational cards supplied with the condoms promote safe sex through five points: partners, pregnancy and prevention, practices, past sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and prevention of STIs.

According to Ms DeRoza and Ms Ball, there were 356 reported cases of chlamydia in Bermuda last year, 27 cases of gonorrhoea, 92 of genital herpes, and eight cases of syphilis. Seven new cases of HIV/AIDS were also reported.

But Ms Ball stressed that safe sex is not just about preventing STIs.

“Sexual health is not just the absence of disease,” she said. “Sex is to be discussed, sex is to be enjoyed and to be had in a very safe and caring environment.”

Because part of having healthy sexual relationships involves being able to talk about sex, the initiative encourages people to have a conversation about the topic with their partners, children or physicians.

“Sexual health requires a positive, respectful approach to sexuality and sexual relationships,” Ms DeRoza said.

“We need to create a sexually healthy generation full of individuals and communities that are comfortable discussing their sexual health.”

She added: “It is also an opportunity to promote services and support available in Bermuda for sexual and reproductive health issues such as the Communicable Disease Control Clinic, Bermuda Cancer and Health Centre, the Women’s Resource Centre, and the Maternal Health and Family Planning clinic.”

The Department of Health provides a number of STI-related services, focusing on education, testing, treatment and investigation of outbreaks.

• For more information, contact the Communicable Disease Control Clinic on 278-6442