Each year on September 4, World Sexual Health Day invites governments, health experts, educators, and individuals to reflect on how sexual health shapes our overall well-being. In 2025, the observance comes with renewed urgency. The World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations’ Special Programme in Human Reproduction (HRP) emphasize that sexuality is not only a private matter but also a public health priority, one tied deeply to dignity, equity, and human rights.

The 2025 theme, "Sexual Justice: What Can We Do?", places responsibility in the hands of societies and individuals and challenges us to reimagine a world where sexual health and rights are not privileges but the integral elements of daily health.

Sexual health has traditionally been described by WHO as a state of physical, emotional, mental, and social well-being in sexual matters—not just the absence of disease. However, in reality, international public health policies have tended to emphasize risks, infection, and ill effects. This disconnect between definition and practice results in much everyday sexual health issues—pleasure, empowerment, equality—not being included in the discussion.

World Sexual Health Day aims to close that gap. It is not merely about decreasing infection or avoiding unwanted pregnancy but about allowing individuals to have positive, safe, and stigma-free experiences of sexuality.

World Sexual Health Day 2025 Theme: Sexual Justice, Sexual Justice: What Can We Do?

This year's theme is sexual justice, which is present when everyone—regardless of gender, age, sexual orientation, or social origin—is empowered, free, and equipped with the means to make informed choices about their bodies and sexual lives. This focus is divided into four main areas:

Sexual Rights: Preventing individuals from discrimination, stigma, and shame, and ensuring there is dignity in all sexual choices.

Sexual and Reproductive Rights: Protecting body autonomy and reproductive freedom.

LGBTQ+ Youth: Respecting the rights, identities, and interests of gender-diverse and sexual-minority youth, who are among the most at-risk populations in the world.

Access to Information: Ensuring sexual health education is accurate, evidence-based, and uncensored.

Cumulatively, these priority areas represent a worldwide commitment to removing obstacles that impede people from realizing complete sexual well-being.

Last year, WHO and HRP pushed forward priority research initiatives that define sexual health and sexual behavior on a global level.

Pleasure-focused communication campaigns: A systematic review of 29 HIV campaigns revealed that emphasizing pleasure—instead of fear or stigma—enhanced knowledge, increased condom use, and stimulated HIV testing. This is a paradigm shift: fun and empowerment are catalysts for safer sex behaviors.

Global research priorities for STIs: WHO had 40 areas for further research, including diagnosis, management, and prevention. These priorities are expected to direct researchers and policymakers in solidifying global STI control as antibiotic resistance makes it more challenging to treat.

Monitoring sexual health outcomes: Instruments such as the Sexual Health Assessment of Practices and Experiences (SHAPE) questionnaire are assisting countries in collecting data on sexual health practices and requirements, for which there is an evidence base to support improving policy. These observations bring a deeper truth into focus: sexual health is not merely preventing illness but promoting rights, empowerment, and pleasure as part of well-being.

Four Pillars of a Public Health Approach to Sexual Wellness

Researchers now propose a four-pillar model that recognizes the entire range of sexuality:

Sexual Health: Focusing on fertility, prevention of sexually transmitted infections (including HIV), prevention of sexual violence, and sexual functioning.

Sexual Pleasure: Identifying consent, safety, trust, and communication as facilitators for satisfaction and well-being.

Sexual Justice: Providing fair, inclusive, and rights-based access to sexual and reproductive health services.

Sexual Well-being: Embracing sexuality as a sign of health equity and a measure of general well-being, not just confining it to risks or dysfunctions.

These pillars in concert move sexual health policy away from a deficit-based approach towards one centered on equity, resilience, and empowerment.

Sexual health is not a specialty concern. It overlaps with human rights, social justice, and even ecological sustainability. To illustrate, the ecological footprint of menstrual hygiene materials has become a compelling concern, tying sexual health to wider environmental discussions. In the same vein, harmful gender norms and violence against women and LGBTQ+ are public health emergencies with spillover consequences to families, communities, and economies.

For countries, investing in sexual health translates to lower costs for health care, avoidance of long-term illness that comes from letting infections go untreated, and healthier, more resilient populations. For human beings, it translates to living with less fear, shame, and obstacles to intimacy and pleasure.

What You Can Do To Make Sexual Wellness Everyday Health?

World Sexual Health Day 2025 is not just about institutional reforms—it’s also about what individuals can do daily to support their own sexual well-being. Experts recommend:

Prioritize Intimacy

Carving out time for intimacy can be as important as scheduling exercise or meals. Reducing distractions and allowing space for relaxation can strengthen desire and connection.

Cultivate a Positive Mindset

Practice sex positivity—embracing that consensual sex is healthy and worth it—deconstructs guilt and shame. This attitude change can enhance enjoyment and emotional connection.

Support Physical Health

Physical activity increases blood flow and endurance, while sufficient sleep balances hormone levels. Both directly influence sexual function and desire.

Use Resources Wisely

From lubricants to medicinally approved aphrodisiacs, small instruments can reduce pain and increase pleasure. Overcoming physical obstacles like vaginal dryness or erectile dysfunction is part of self-care.

Practice Mindfulness

Attentive focus while being intimate allows for connection and increases pleasure. Yoga, meditation, and breathing exercises can reduce distraction and worry and create space for more satisfying experiences.

Sexual health is inseparable from overall well-being. World Sexual Health Day 2025’s focus on Sexual Justice reframes the conversation around rights, equity, and inclusivity, while inviting individuals to integrate sexual wellness into their daily health routines.

By treating sexual health as everyday health through policy, education, and personal practice we move closer to a future where sexuality is experienced with dignity, safety, and joy.

Andhra Pradesh may soon follow Australia's steps and ban social media for teenagers under the age of 16 in the state.

Nara Lokesh, Information Technology, Electronics and Communications, Real Time Governance and Human Resources Development Minister for Andhra Pradesh, told Bloomberg at the World Economic Forum 2026 Annual Meeting in Davos, Switzerland: "As a state, we are studying Australia’s under-16 law, and yes, I believe we need to create a strong legal enactment.

"Youngsters below a certain age should not be on such platforms, as they do not fully understand the content they are exposed to. Thus, a strong legal framework may be required."

Also Read: Chikungunya Spreads Across Tamil Nadu: All You Need To Know

TDP national spokesperson Deepak Reddy supported Lokesh's claim and stated: "Children below a certain age are not emotionally mature enough to comprehend the negative and harmful content that is freely available online. That is why the Andhra government is studying global best practices and examining Australia's under-16 social media law."

If implemented successfully, Andhra Pradesh would be the first Indian state to issue the ban and could pave the way for other states to consider such policies. State officials are yet to clarify when the rule will be implemented and if any fines will be attached to it.

Is Any Other State Considering a Ban?

The petition was to emphasize on the awareness of the stakeholders and parental windows in the device that could control the menace of pornographic material which is easily accessible to children. The court asked Centre to order internet provider service companies to provide a 'Parental Window' to prevent children from accessing such content.

The Madurai Bench of Justices G Jayachandran and KK Ramakrishnan told the authorities of child rights to accelerate this matter. The bench also noted that children could only be prevented from consuming such content only if there is a parental control app on the device.

Judges also noted that parents have a higher responsibility in this, as children are highly vulnerable to such content.

READ MORE: Australia Social Media Ban Explained: Why Government Plans to Restrict Accounts of Under-16s

What Did Australia Do?

To protect the mental health of children, Australia has successfully banned several social media apps including Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, Threads, TikTok, X, YouTube, Reddit, and streaming platforms Kick and Twitch.

YouTube Kids, Google Classroom and WhatsApp are not covered under this rule as they do not fit those criteria.

While anyone under 16 will be still able to watch most of the content without logging in, however, they cannot have an account on it. Critics are urging the government to widen the ban to include online gaming platforms such as Roblox and Discord, which are currently not covered.

The government says that it will also reduce the negative impact of social media's "design features that encourage [young people] to spend more time on screens, while also serving up content that can harm their health and wellbeing".

A government study which was commissioned in 2025 found that 96% of children aged 10 to 15 used social media, and that seven out of 10 of them were exposed to harmful content. These content were misogynistic and violent in its nature, furthermore, content promoted eating disorders and suicide.

Children and parents will not be punished for infringing the ban, instead, social media companies will face fines of up to A$49.5m, which is equivalent of US$32m for serious or repeated breaches.

The Directorate of Public Health and Preventive Medicine (DPH) has issued a statewide alert across Tamil Nadu due to a sudden uptick in chikungunya cases in multiple cities.

Cases have been reported across Chennai, Villupuram, Tenkasi, Theni, Cuddalore, Chengalpattu, Kancheepuram and Ariyalur. It remains unknown how many people have been affected and if any deaths have occurred.

Caused by the chikungunya virus, chikungunya virus disease (CHIKVD) is spread by the bite of infected mosquitoes (Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus) to humans. The illness usually starts with flu-like symptoms including fever, chills, headache, nausea, vomiting, joint pain and rashes.

Also Read: This Is Why Emmanuel Macron Wore Sunglasses At Davos

Typically, the illness has no clear no symptoms, especially in children and can easily be misdiagnosed as dengue and Zika. While there are no specific antiviral treatments for chikungunya virus infections, medications such as antipyretic and analgesic medications (such as paracetamol) for fever and pain can be used to ease the pain.

Most patients recover completely from the infection, but occasional cases of eye, heart, and neurological complications have been previously been reported with CHIKV infections.

What Are Tamil Nadu Officials Doing To Contain Cases?

Authorities have also emphasized that all government and private hospitals as well as diagnostic laboratories, need to timely report cases to ensure the infection does not spread . Any delay in reporting, officials noted, could allow the virus to spread rapidly within communities.

On the local level, district entomologists and health inspectors have been told to eliminate stagnant water in artificial containers and conduct weekly mass-cleaning drives in high-risk areas.

The DPH has also ordered that all designated dengue and chikungunya wards in hospitals be kept mosquito-free, with adequate bed strength and sufficient mosquito nets for patients.

READ MORE: What Is Chikungunya And How Can It Be Prevented?

Can Chikungunya Spread Easily?

Cases typically emerge mostly in the Americas, Asia and Africa and occasionally in Europe. However, nearly 30,000 CHIKVD cases have been recorded, including 83 associated deaths from 12 countries namely from China, Singapore, Pakistan, France, Argentina, Brazil and Mexico, marking it as one of the biggest outbreaks in the world.

French President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday addressed the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. As he spoke on the European solidarity amid US President Donald Trumps' treat to annex Greenland, something else seemed to take the attention away. Macron was seen wearing a pair of blue-tinted mirrored aviator sunglasses. The surprising part was that he wore it indoors. French media had already reported that he was seen wearing sunglasses since last week.

Trump also mocked Emmanuel Macron’s sunglasses during his speech at Davos, joking, “what the hell happened?” regarding the French president’s appearance.

Also Read: Nipah Virus Outbreak In India: After Two West Bengal Cases, Tests On Bats Show No Active Infection

Why Was Emmanuel Macron Wearing Sunglasses Indoors?

On Monday, Macron said that reflective glasses were to disguise a minor eye injury that he had sustained after having been spotted with a heavily bloodshot right eye. "Apologies for the shades, but I have to wear them for a while". He further said that it is for a "mild eye condition".

Last week, when he appeared at a military event in southern France with red eye, while addressing the troop, he said, it was "totally benign" and "completely insignificant", he also added, "Please pardon the unsightly appearance of my eye". He also joked about it, calling it "l'oiel du tigre" or the "eye of the tiger". This was a reference to rock band Survivor's song used in the 1982 boxing moving Rocky III. He said, "For those who get the reference, it is a sign of determination".

What Happened To Macron's Eyes?

As per the French media reports, Macron appeared to have a sub-conjunctival hemorrhage. This means there is a broken blood vessel in his eyes. It is harmless, painless, and does not affect the vision. It also cannot cause permanent injury to the eye, and clears within a fortnight.

Macron Wears Sunglasses Indoor: Is It Absolutely Necessary?

Medical doctor and media commentator Jimmy Mohamed told French broadcaster RTL that Macron "opted for this style for aesthetic reasons, because he is a public figure. However, sunglasses are not necessary to protect vision in this condition. Some people wear it to avoid attracting attention.

"Some people might think he's ill, so to avoid being photographed in that state, he decided to wear sunglasses. The glasses protect his image, but not really his eye," said Jimmy Mohamed.

Read: Why Can't I Hear When I Take My Glasses Off?

How Have Netizen Reacted To Macron Wearing Sunglasses?

He has been called 'kéké', which is a French slang for a show off. Others also joked about him being a "cyborg" or emulating Hollywood actor Top Cruise in Top Gun, the 1986 movie that made wearing aviators a fashion statement.

What Is Sub-conjunctival hemorrhage?

Sub-conjunctival hemorrhage or SCH is a common ocular condition defined by extravasation of blood beneath the conjunctiva, producing a sharply demarcated red patch on the scleral surface. The condition is usually painless and does not impair vision. It usually resolves within 1 to 2 weeks, making it a frequent but benign cause of ocular redness.

It usually happens by a sudden pressure increase from coughing, sneezing, vomiting, or heavy lifting. This could rupture tiny eye blood vessels, or from eye trauma like rubbing or foreign bodies, and can be linked to risk factors like high blood pressure, diabetes, blood thinners, or even childbirth in newborns.