CHAPTER ONE
1.0 INTRODUCTION
Sexually Transmitted Diseases has been noted to imperil not only human kind but institutions therefore not constituting one of the biggest threats to the global agenda. (UNESCO, 2000).However, Across 15 countries surveyed in the round 2 of the “Afro barometer,” evidence indicates that large proportions of Africans have either lost family or friends to STDS, or supper under the burden of STDS by caring for family members or orphans (Afro barometer, 2004).In this vein, Kelly (2004) argues that in most of these countries, the STDS prevalence rate exceeds 5 percent, numbers that indicate that the epidemic is now undermine every aspect of the society, including families, health, education, industry and economic development.
Sexually transmitted infection is now recognized as a serious global threat to the health of populations. Adolescents and young adults (15-24) are the age groups at the greatest risk for acquiring sexually transmitted infections/Diseases and 3 million become infected each year. These infection diseases can have severe consequences, especially in females if not heated. Over the years, repeated “STDS” prevalence surveys in Nigeria have shown that the burden of this epidemic is more on adolescents and young people. Thus, this study investigates the level of knowledge and sources of information on Sexually Transmitted Diseases among emerging adults.Over the period of 1980`s, a general decrease of gonorrhea, syphilis and Chlamydia infections was noted in developed countries both in the general population and among adolescents. From the mid-1990`s however, increase in the diagnosis of sexually transmitted disease, in particular HIV/AIDS, syphilis, gonorrhea and Chlamydia have been reported in Several African Countries, especially among emerging adults of 16-19 years old.