Teenagers now carry more sexually transmitted deceases than ever, says health record
Sexually transmitted infections have reached record levels, with teenage girls most at risk, doctors warned last night.
There were almost 500,000 cases of diseases such as chlamydia and gonorrhea last year, the highest number in the 30 years the figures have been collated.
More than two thirds of these infections occurred in women under the age of 25, even though they account for only an eighth of the population
Doctors say young women are particularly vulnerable because they are sometimes being persuaded not to use condoms.
Figures also suggest infections are increasing among the middle class, with wealthy London boroughs such as Kensington and Chelsea and Westminster experiencing some of the highest rates.
Last year there were 482,696 cases of STIs – a rise of 3 per cent on 2008 figures, according to the Health Protection Agency (HPA). But doctors warned that true figures were probably far higher as many people are not diagnosed with such illnesses.
Chlamydia, the most common disease, increased by 7 per cent and gonorrhea went up by 6 per cent.
Women are most likely to get an infection aged 19 or 20, with men more at risk between the ages of 20 and 23.
The figures also showed that one in ten of those aged 15 to 24 diagnosed with an STI will catch another infection within a year.
Experts also warned that some infections would become untreatable in the next few years as they became immune to antibiotics.
Dr Gwenda Hughes of the HPA said: ‘These figures highlight the vulnerability of young women.
‘Many studies have shown that young adults are more likely to have unsafe sex and often they lack the skills and confidence to negotiate safer sex.’
Natika Halil, of the Family Planning Association, said: ‘The state of sexual health in the UK is complicated and a cause for serious concern.
‘Young men don’t wear condoms and it appears it is young women who end up with the infection.’
Source: Mail
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