The Ministry of Health and Social Development launched their Wrap it Up campaign today, July 18, in an effort to bring awareness of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) to the forefront as well as to promote a message of social responsibility for the festival.

Acting Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Ronald Georges said that the campaign is an expansion of what the ministry started last year to catch people’s attention about the consequences of high-risk sexual behvaiours.

“STIs are here, people get infected, they are potentially very serious, but the key thing to note is that they are preventable and treatable,” Dr. Georges said. Despite those facts, the Acting Chief Medical Officer maintains that the best treatment for STIs is to never get them, therefore he is asking the community to “Wrap it Up Before you Wuk it Up.”

The Wrap it Up campaign will address a wide cross-section of the community with key assertive graphics targeting all persons, particularly the younger population. “We have to speak to our audience in a meaningful way. Those messages are speaking directly to our younger demographic and to an audience we think is especially at risk,” Dr. Georges said.

Dr. Georges also noted that for the other sectors of the population there are other types of messaging and forums including audio and video interviews, radio commercials, newsletters and press releases that will be disseminated to support the campaign. These communications collaterals will address a myriad of issues that will include drinking and driving, mixing medicines with alcohol, age of consent, issues around consent, and reducing high risky sexual behaviours.

"As part of the campaign a few of the local laboratories have also agreed to have promotions on STI testing for the community. The labs will be doing their independent advertising surrounding their promotions, but we do want persons to take advantage of the opportunity and get testing so that they can know the status of their sexual health,” Dr. Georges advised

The Ministry of Health and Social Development is committed to improving the health and wellbeing of the people of the Virgin Islands.