HEALTH LIVING: LETS TALK ABOUT SEXUAL HEALTH.

“Lets talk about sex baby, lets talk about you and me, lets talk about all the good things and the bad things that may be, lets talk about sex.” – Salt ‘n’ Pepa (1991)

Sex refers to the biological characteristics that define human beings as female or male (not mutually exclusive) and in the context of sexuality; sex is used to mean sexual activity.

Sexuality is the existential aspect of being human and encompasses sex, gender, gender identities and roles, body image, sexual orientation, eroticism, pleasure, intimacy and reproduction. Sexuality is experienced and expressed repeatedly throughout one’s life.

Sexual health is defined as not just the absence of sexual diseases, dysfunction or infirmity; it is the state of complete mental, physical, emotional and social well being in relation to sexuality.

Addressing sexual health requires understanding and appreciation of biology, sex, sexuality, sexual relationships, gender roles, sexual rights and power.

In 2014, the topic of sex, sexuality and sexual health still remain a taboo topic in Africa and amongst Africans sanctioned by culture and new religious beliefs.

This has not worked very well in our favour. The statistics on female genital mutilation, HIV/AIDS, STIs and maternal death as a result of botched abortions speak loudly of our sexual health challenges.

I remain confident that these are challenges we will overcome. Simply because we must.

Working at one of Kenya’s largest national referral hospitals as a medical student then later as a doctor, I faced the end product of our sexual health challenges on the bodies of HIV/AIDS patients, victims of sexual violence, victims of botched abortions and sexually transmitted disease. This was my evolution into a sexual health campaigner. My silence on this topic was doing nothing for the service of my people.

Sexual health is not an event; sexual health is a series of life choices. Unfortunately, sexual health is not only personal, it is public. Poor sexual health choices are a threat not only to yourself, but to the lives around you and a threat to our future. Mother to child transmission is a reality with 104,000 children aged between 18months and 14 years living with HIV infection in Kenya (Kenya AIDS Indicator Survey 2012).

Take a minute and reflect on how HIV/AIDS has ravaged families since the first case in Kenya was reported in 1984.

This year is 2014 and humanity is still terrified and panicked about this disease that infects indiscriminately and has wiped out millions of people in its wake. Advances in modern science have side stepped this illness and there is no vaccine, no cure and no treatment.

But there are condoms. Condoms protect both partners. Condoms are more than just a HIV/AIDS barrier; they are a barrier from sexually transmitted diseases and cancers and prevent unwanted pregnancies. Condoms are arguably the last defence between humanity and extinction.

Condoms are a choice and a tool for sexual health. Condoms used correctly and consistently are a good place to start.

What if we liked sex so much but liked ourselves even more? What if condoms were the norm and non condom sex was the exception? What if we encouraged our friends to be sexually healthy? What if we packed away judgement and silly stigma associated with buying and carrying condoms? What if married couples used condoms as contraceptive?

What if we carried 3 condoms, 1 for the night, 1 for the morning and 1 for a friend?

As a lone ranger I began an online campaign on my twitter account @wambuiwaithaka using the hash tag #condomfriday.

I tweet entertaining and educative 140 character pieces of information about sex, sexuality, sexual health and medical notes with the hash tag #condomfriday every Friday. #CondomFriday encourages real talk in a refreshing way. #CondomFriday encourages love and adventure where safety comes first. #CondomFriday wants to see a HIV/AIDS free world.

This is by no measure an exhaustive discussion on these very broad topics but the hope is that it can scale offline and impact more people to consistently make the right choices to live long sexually healthy lives