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Health officials in Tayside are proposing to make condoms available free from chemists and other outlets near secondary schools.

It is one proposal in a new strategy aimed at reducing the high number of teenage pregnancies and abortions.

Dundee has the highest number of young teenagers falling pregnant in the whole of western Europe.

The condom scheme, however, has been condemned by the Roman Catholic Church as unacceptable and irresponsible.

More abortions are carried out in Tayside than any other area of Scotland and sexual infections are also increasing at an alarming rate.

NHS Tayside said a series of new measures was needed to tackle sexual health problems.

These include:

• Developing emergency contraception services at GP surgeries
• Further development of sexual infection screening
• Advertising local sexual health services in secondary schools
• Free condoms near every secondary school.

An automatic condom fitter that allows condoms to be put on in a fraction of the time it usually takes is on display at the International Exhibition of Inventions.

Designed by inventor and businessmen Mor Maty Seck it has been such a success in his native Senegal that he is now selling it internationally, and has already had offers from European businessmen who want to team up to offer it in Europe.

Mr Seck said: "People don't like to talk about contraception but there are a lot of men who find condoms difficult to use, and it can be so embarrassing that the moment is completely lost.

"My auto condom fitter guarantees nothing more than a brief second's pause in the action, with a bit of practice the man's partner probably won't even notice that he had reached over and used his trusty auto condom fitter."

The device was one of more than a 1,000 inventions from 735 inventors that travelled to the fair in Geneva, Switzerland, from 42 different countries.

The other patents looking for investors ranged from ecological processes for cleaning boats without the need for a dry dock to safety crash helmets made of coconut-fibre.

More than 60,000 visitors have seen the fair, more than half of them being businessmen and investors.

Ananova.com

Thousands of counterfeit condoms may have made their way on to the UK market. The Medicine and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency issued an alert after counterfeit batches were discovered in the Republic of Ireland.

The products are disguised in Durex packaging, but do not meet interational quality standards, and may not protect against pregnancy or diseases.

The fakes are labelled as either Durex Extra Safe, or Durex Fetherlite.

The Durex Extra Safe fakes come in packs of 12 and have the batch number 20602503.

The Durex Fetherlite fakes come in a similar size pack, and have the batch number VR3073C. However, poor printing quality on the boxes means the letter C may appear as an E.

In both cases, the batch numbers are also shared by legitimate Durex products, but these have now been recalled as a precaution.

People who have recently bought either type of condom are advised to check the bottom of the packaging.

And anybody who thinks they may have used the fake products is being advised to consult their doctor.

A spokesperson for the HIV charity Terrence Higgins Trust said: "Properly used, condoms are always the best protection against HIV and many other sexually transmitted infections.

"If a condom has broken during sex, getting health advice swiftly can still prevent pregnancy or transmission of HIV."

BBC News

Uganda has strongly denied charges that it no longer promotes condoms as part of its fight against Aids - seen as one of the most successful in the world.

Lobby group Human Rights Watch said US pressure had led to a change of policy, with abstinence now being emphasised.

HIV infection rates have dropped from around 15% in the 1990s to 6% and HRW says this success is being jeopardised.

The BBC's Will Ross in Uganda says the message has shifted towards abstinence, especially for young people.

He says more funding is now being directed towards religious groups who don't mention condoms.

'Misunderstood'

President Yoweri Museveni's wife, Janet, a staunch Christian, is strongly involved in this shift, our correspondent says.

But a presidential spokesman said the president and the first lady were being "misunderstood" .

The Ugandan approach has always been dubbed the "ABC" strategy, with the emphasis firstly on abstinence, then on being faithful and thirdly on condoms.

"They have been consistent in advocating for a multi-pronged approach - those who are sexually active should be faithful to their partners, others should abstain and those who cannot abstain should use condoms," said Onapito Ekomoloit.

But Human Rights Watch said teachers had told its researchers that they had been discouraged from discussing condoms.

"Uganda is gradually removing condoms from its HIV/Aids strategy and the consequences could be fatal," said Tony Tate, a co-author of the 80-page report.

But Alex Opio, assistant commissioner for Uganda's Centre for National Disease Control, said that Uganda imported some 120m condoms a year and that two-thirds of these were ordered by the government.

Uganda has a population of 26.8 million.

BBC News

The anti-impotence drug Viagra could be used to treat a pregnancy disorder which can prove fatal for mothers and babies, researchers suggest.

Pre-eclampsia affects about one in 10 pregnancies, and kills up to five women and 600 babies a year in the UK.

Tests on rats by a team at University of Vermont College of Medicine showed no offspring died in the pregnancies where mother rats were given Viagra.

UK experts said the finding gave hope for future treatment of the condition.

The US research is to be presented to the International Union of Physiological Sciences meeting in San Diego, US this week.

The scientists studied rats with induced high blood pressure.

Half were given Viagra, while the rest were left untreated.

There were no deaths of foetuses in the pregnancies treated with Viagra, but 11% of foetuses were lost in pregnancies in untreated rats.

'No cure'

Pre-eclampsia occurs in pregnancies where the arteries which cross through the placenta do not widen as much as they should be to take the necessary amount of blood and nutrients from the mother to the developing foetus.

If this happens, the mother's body works harder to pump enough blood and nutrients through - and her blood pressure goes up.

Viagra works by inhibiting the action of an enzyme called PDE-5, which prevents the expansion of arteries.

The researchers found the drug did not lower blood pressure, in the rats, but it did have beneficial effects.

The arteries in treated rats were much wider than those in untreated animals, allowing better circulation of blood and nutrients.

The offspring from these pregnancies were also of a normal weight. Surviving offspring from untreated rats were around 20% smaller.

Professor George Osol, who led the research, said more work was needed to confirm his findings.

But he added: "These findings are exciting because they suggest that Viagra may have beneficial effects in hypertensive pregnancy and possibly, pre-eclampsia."

Mike Rich, chief executive of the charity Action on Pre-eclampsia, said: "Using Viagra would not cure the pre-eclampsia, but you could potentially get to a point where you could prolong a pregnancy by enabling better blood flow."

BBC News

Scientists say they have discovered why a pregnancy complication which can put the lives of mothers and babies at risk runs in families.

It is down to a gene passed down to a daughter by their mother, Dutch researchers told Nature Genetics.

Women with this gene who become pregnant risk pre-eclampsia and its associated blood pressure and kidney problems that can be fatal, they say.

It might be possible to screen for the gene, they told the BBC News website.

Up to one in 10 pregnant women can get pre-eclampsia. In about one in 50 cases the condition will be severe.

It can be very serious and is still responsible for the deaths of between three and five women a year as well as between 500 and 600 babies.

It is caused by a defect in the placenta, which joins mother and baby and supplies the baby with nutrients and oxygen from the mother's blood.

But scientists still do not fully understand what causes it.

Researchers at VU University Medical Centre in Amsterdam, working with Australian colleagues at Adelaide University, looked at families with two or more sisters who had experienced pre-eclampsia during a pregnancy.

Screening

By analysing the family members' DNA they found a version of one particular gene - STOX1 - was common among the 67 women with a history of pre-eclampsia.

STOX1 is known to be expressed in the placenta during the critical stage in which it invades the lining of the womb in early pregnancy.

The researchers believe the version that the women with pre-eclampsia inherited from their mothers does not function as well as most other forms of the gene.

Women with one faulty copy have a 50-50 chance of the gene being expressed in the placenta.

Lead researcher Cees Oudejans said: "We hope to be able to screen women for this gene.

"It could be a simple blood test."

Women with a copy of the faulty gene could have a repeat blood test if they became pregnant to see whether they were expressing the gene in their placenta. It might be possible to prevent complications with treatment, said Mr Oudejans.

"In our study, one woman who, in theory, should have had pre-eclampsia, according to her genetics, did not.

"She had received [blood thinning drugs] heparin and aspirin during early pregnancy.

"One of the things we should look at is whether early treatment with these kind of medicines helps," he said.

Michael Rich, chief executive of Action on Pre-eclampsia, said: "A genetic link in pre-eclampsia has long been recognised with a woman whose mother or sisters have had pre-eclampsia being approximately at triple the risk of developing the disease herself.

"What is clear is that a full family history should be taken at a pregnant woman's first "booking" appointment and that women should be made aware of the genetic link that exists in pre-eclampsia."

BBC News

A survey has suggested the majority of sexual health clinics have turned patients away in the last year.

The snapshot picture from 69 doctors from across England found two-thirds said their clinics could not cope with demand.

The sexual health charities who carried out the survey said £300m of government investment last year had had an impact.

But they warned the money was not getting through to frontline services in some areas.

The survey is the third yearly analysis of services to be carried out by the Terrence Higgins Trust, the British HIV Association BHIVA) and Providers of Aids Care and Treatment (PACT).

It found that 34% of clinicians reported they had "often" turned people away without being able to offer them any help.

Another 30% said they had "occasionally" had to do so.

The charities warn most of these patients would have been unlikely to have been able to access sexual health services elsewhere.

They said this meant those who did have a sexually transmitted infection would have continued to experience symptoms themselves, and potentially pass their STI on to new partners.

One specialist who responded to the survey said: "We have a single centre covering 500,000 people - currently turning away 600 patients a week."

Spending concerns

More than half of the specialists said their ability to provide services has got worse over the past year.

The survey also revealed long waits for tests.

It suggested one in five patients wait a month for an STI test and more than a third wait more than two weeks for an HIV test.

The charities also surveyed 47 primary care trusts.

Almost half said they had not increased their spending on sexual health in the last year.

But they said government investment had improved services - where funding had reached clinics.

Lisa Power, head of policy at Terrence Higgins Trust said: "Despite the government's commitment to improving sexual health, many PCTs and clinicians are still struggling to improve access to diagnostic and treatment services, and sexual ill-health continues to worsen in England.

"Where government money is getting through to sexual health services, matters are improving. But too often, PCT managers are failing to take sexual health seriously."

She said last year's White Paper on Public Health had committed the NHS to cutting waiting times in sexual health clinics and a national campaign to improve public awareness about safer sex.

But she added: "This needs to be matched by commitment at local level if we are to see better sexual health across the country."

A Department of Health spokeswoman said: "This is a small survey that only looked at 15% of PCTs.

"Tackling the rise in STIs is a government priority. And that is why we have just invested an extra £300m for sexual health."

She said the aim was for all patients who needed an appointment would be seen within 48 hours.

She added: "One of the aims of our strategy is to relieve the burden on traditional services by providing screening and testing in a range of different settings such as pharmacies, colleges and GP surgeries."

BBC News

Lesbian and gay couples are to be given the same tax rights as heterosexual married couples under new measures coming into effect later this year.

Under the Civil Partnership Act 2004 (CPA), couples will be able to transfer assets between themselves with no more tax liability than married couples.

However, the rules limiting married couples' options on tax will also apply to civil partners.

Pension tax legislation will also be amended to include civil partners.

Anti-avoidance

Registered civil partners will be able to make gifts or bequests to their partners with the benefits of Inheritance Tax (IHT) or Capital Gains Tax (CGT) exemption and will have their own form of married couple's allowance.

But also on a par with married couples, civil partners will not be able to get away with dodging tax by transferring their income to others who pay less tax.

There are special rules already in place for husbands and wives, and these will be extended to same-sex couples.

As Anne Redstone from Ernst & Young points out, if one partner owns a flat in London and the other has a house in Brighton, at the moment both can be sold free of capital gains tax.

However, under civil partnership rules they will have to elect one of the properties to be their main residence and the other will be subject to tax on sale.

Divorce rules apply

CIVIL PARTNERSHIP RIGHTS
Social security and pension benefits
Tenancy rights
Possible parental responsibility for partner's children
Full recognition for life assurance
Responsibility to provide reasonable maintenance for partners and children
Same tax treatment as married couples, including exemptions from inheritance tax on homes
Visiting rights in hospitals

Stamp duty rules whereby divorcing married couples are exempt will also apply if property is being sold in connection with the ending of a civil partnership.

The tax changes will take effect from 5 December, 2005 - the date the CPA comes into force.

Civil partnership ceremonies will take place in front of a registrar and two witnesses at registry offices throughout the UK.

"The only real difference between marriage and civil partnership will be that couples won't be able to carry out the partnership ceremony in a church (or any religious place)," says independent financial advice website Pinklolly.

BBC News

Teenage girls in Wales and the South West of England have had more sexual partners than anywhere else in the UK, research has found.

The survey of 14-year-olds for magazine Bliss found 22% in the UK had had sex underage - 23% in Wales and South West.

In Wales and the South West, 23% had had sex with four partners on average - in the UK three - with 75% having a one night stand and 86% unprotected sex.

Children's Commissioner Peter Clarke said the figures were "alarming".

He said it was clear teenagers needed more support in learning about sex.

Across the UK, the magazine questioned 2,000 teenage girls with an average age of 14-and-a-half.

Eighty-three per cent of girls in Wales and the South West said they had "had sex while they were drunk" - far above the UK figure of 60%.

In this region, 85% of girls who had had sex said they had not used protection - 20% more than the UK average and the highest in the country - and 75% had had a one-night stand, compared to 45% in the UK.

More girls in Wales and the South West said they had had a bad sexual experience than any other region - 65% compared to a UK average of 49%.

OF THE GIRLS IN WALES AND SOUTH WEST HAVING SEX
75% had a one night-stand
85% had unprotected sex
65%had a bad sexual experience
54% wish they lost their virginity to someone else
83% had sex while drunk
5% had contracted a sexually transmitted infection
36% had cheated on a boyfriend

Also, more girls in this region said they wished they had lost their virginity to someone else - 45% against and 39% average for the UK.

Mr Clarke said: "I am very alarmed, as most adults would be, about 14-year-olds having sex."

He said the way in which sex education was taught to youngsters in Wales needed to be looked into and called for a more open discussion.

"The whole issue of how we teach sex education and give support to young people is something that we need a debate on," he added.

"Teenagers needed to be given information on sex in non-patronising and non-preaching ways.

"We need not only to talk about the biology of sex but need to be more willing to go into the emotions that go with it, like self-esteem.

"Quite clearly, if we're going to change the content of sex education that is an issue which needs to be taken from the school to the assembly."

A Welsh Assembly Government spokesperson said they were waiting to see a report and any recommendations by the school's inspectorate Estyn into sex education in Welsh schools.

The report was due to be published by the end of April.

"Sex and relationship education is about understanding the importance of stable and loving personal relationships, respect, love, care and the building of successful relationships with friendship groups and the wider community," added the spokesperson.

BBC News

One in five 14-year-old girls in the UK has had sex - and with an average of three partners, a survey suggests.

Half of the sexually active girls said they regretted the experience, while 70% of all girls wanted more advice.

Overall, 7% said teachers gave useful information about sex and 57% had not discussed it with their parents.

Bliss magazine, which surveyed 2,000 girls with an average age of 14.5, said its findings were "extremely worrying" - particularly the number of partners.

Editor Lisa Smosarski said: "Peer pressure from their friends plays a great role in this - they are desperate not to be the last virgin in school, but often they are not emotionally mature enough to deal with the situation."

Jan Barlow, chief executive of sexual health charity Brook, said the survey "confirms a desperate need among young people for better information about sex and relationships".

Unprotected sex

Almost half of the girls questioned (44%) said they relied on magazines for information about sex, while one third (32%) got advice from friends.

The findings suggested that 22% of them had had sex.

Of these 65% had had unprotected sex, while almost half had had a one-night stand (45%) and over half (55%) had sex more than once a month.

Only 6% did not have sex again after their first experience.

The survey found alcohol was a major contributing factor, with 60% admitting they were drunk when they first had sex.

Love and affection

The majority of girls questioned held traditional views on marriage and tradition.

Almost all (94%) said they wanted to get married by the time they were 25, and 89% said they wanted to get married before they had children.

Regionally, girls in Yorkshire were the most likely to have had sex, with 34% of them admitting they had lost their virginity.

Girls in Wales and the south west of England admitted to having the most partners, four, while 86% said they had had unprotected sex.

The vast majority of girls questioned (94%) said love and affection was more important to them than sex, the survey said.

'Informed decisions'

"This survey shows that teenagers really are new traditionalists - they want to get married and have children first, yet they are having sex earlier and often under the influence of alcohol," said Lisa Smosarski.

Jan Barlow said the survey highlighted "the pressures young people face from their peer group".

She said: "It's vital they get information about avoiding sexually transmitted infections and pregnancy.

"The government needs to make comprehensive sex and relationships education (SRE) a compulsory part of the national curriculum so that every young person has the information they need to make informed decisions about sex and relationships."

BBC News