Valentine’s sex message

A campaign aimed at educating young people about sexually
transmitted diseases was launched to coincide with Valentine’s Day
with adverts in newspapers, magazines and other media. Spoof
valentines cards were distributed at clubs, warning of the
risks.

Sexually transmitted diseases are on the increase, especially among
18 to 30 year olds. There was an increase of 139 per cent in cases
of chlamydia between 1996 and 2002, and gonorrhoea cases rose by 9
per cent in one year.

The highest rates of gonorrhoea are in young women under 20, and
men aged 20 to 24. The number of cases of syphilis has rocketed,
with a 67 per cent increase from 717 cases to 1,193 cases from 2001
to 2002.