A physician, Dr. Nkechi Asogwa, on Tuesday in Lagos identified cancer, HIV, infertility and short life span as major risk factors associated with homosexuality.
Asogwa, who is also the Secretary, Doctors Health Initiative, a civil rights group, told the News Agency of Nigeria that homosexual behaviour represented a serious threat to individual and public health.
She said: “Usually among homosexual community, you have the prevalence of what is known as the Human Papilloma Virus and this could lead to anal cancers.
“And if a male homosexual, who happens to be bisexual, has sex with a woman, he could pass the same Human Papilloma Virus to the genital tract of the female.
“And years later, this woman could possibly come up with cervical cancer, which is also a killer disease.
“Also, Hepatitis.
“It’s a fatal liver condition.
“It could lead to liver failure, cirrhosis and liver cancer and then HIV.
“Theses are really serious health issues with a host of other sexually transmitted diseases: Gonorrhoea, Syphilis, which if a bisexual/homosexual individual transmits to a female, she might end up with infertility.
“And then, there is something called the ‘Gay Bowel Syndrome’, inflammation of the rectum, the intestine and the colon, which eventually leads to loss of normal function and possibly death also.”
Asogwa also said that there was high rate of psychiatric illnesses, including depression, drug abuse and suicide attempts among homosexuals.
She added: “Other issues such as violence, drug abuse and the incidence of mental health problems are also there to be reckoned with.
“We have depression, risk of suicide, reduced life span.
“Researches have proved these to be true.
“They are not just issues that are based on emotions.
“So the health implications and to the larger communities are things that we have to really bring to light so that when young people are talking about this issue they can make informed decisions.
“Medically, it’s not a healthy life style.”
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