those services. It was estimated that about 70 per cent of women in the fertile age range used some form of contraception. That percentage included women who had been sterilized, whose partners had been sterilized or whose partners used condoms. The NHS family planning services were available through general practitioners and family planning clinics. Currently, family planning services also played a role in the prevention of AIDS. Family planning services were available to girls under the age of 16 if there was parental consent or sometimes without such consent if it was not possible to obtain it; the doctor frequently played the role of adviser in such circumstances. 35. Concerning the connection between AIDS and prostitution, the Ministry of Health was funding a research study on the informational services existing in the United Kingdom for drug users and prostitutes, whether male or female. The prevalence of AIDS among female prostitutes was thought to be low. It could, however, increase if the disease spread further into the heterosexual population and might be higher in areas where there was a high level of drug misuse. In addition, there was a potential risk posed by foreign seamen using prostitutes in United Kingdom ports. The authors of a study in Greater Glasgow had suggested that at least 75 per cent of HIV-infected drug misusers practised prostitution. 36. A number of local initiatives had been taken in various United Kingdom centres aimed at preventing the spread of HIV and AIDS. Thus, groups had been formed in /. . . which prostitutes of both sexes exchanged information. A number of centres provided free condoms and the Health Education Authority had also mounted a public education campaign aimed at the general public and, in particular, at sexually active young women. At the end of December 1989, 2,830 people were reported as 
**Analysis**
The text appears to be discussing various initiatives and services related to public health, specifically in the context of HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment. It mentions the role of family planning services, condoms, and public education campaigns in preventing the spread of the disease. It also touches on the connection between AIDS and prostitution, as well as the risks posed by foreign seamen and drug misuse.

**Category**
Health