It’s burning down there: How shame is keeping SA girls from looking after their sexual health

A burning sensation. An itch that won’t go away. A rash. Yellow, brown or white discharge.

For many teenage girls and young women in South Africa, these are things you don’t talk about. They’re symptoms to hide — from friends, partners, parents and even healthcare providers. 

That’s what research my colleagues and I at the South African Medical Research Council found when we talked to nearly 5 000 girls and young women aged 15 to 24 across the country about sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and vaginal infections.