Health bosses are particularly concerned about the rise in cases of chlamydia, the most common sexually transmitted infection in the UK. In the majority of cases there are no symptoms and it can result in pelvic inflammatory disease and infertility in women.

However, it is easily treated with antibiotics.
The highest rates of sexually transmitted infections were in men and women under 25.

The number of cases reported by clinics went from 4,427 to 5,158 last year – up 17 per cent. Cases of chlamydia went from 1,001 to 1,141.

Health Protection Agency spokesman Teresa Cash said: "Anyone who has sex can get chlamydia. The people at risk are those having unprotected sexual intercourse, ie not using condoms, especially those with more than one sexual partner and those who change sexual partners.

"They will frequently have no symptoms of chlamydia but can still infect a partner without knowing."

She said the infection cannot be caught by casual contact such as toilet seats, swimming pools and, saunas.


STD factfile

-Symptoms of genital chlamydia in women include vaginal discharge, bleeding between periods, pain when passing urine and lower abdominal pain. Men may experience discharge from the penis, burning and itching in the genital area and pain when passing urine.

-Symptoms start one to three weeks after becoming infected.

-If left untreated, chlamydial infections can progress to serious reproductive and other health problems. In women, untreated infection can cause chronic pelvic pain and lead to pelvic inflammatory disease (PID), ectopic pregnancy and infertility.

-An infected pregnant woman who does not receive antibiotic treatment prior to delivery can also pass the bacteria on to her baby causing it to be born with conjunctivitis (inflammation of the lining of the eye) or pneumonia. However, both are treatable.

-New laboratory tests have been introduced to diagnose genital chlamydial infections using non-invasive samples such as urine or self-taken vulva-vaginal samples.

-Testing for STDs is done in clinics, which can be found in the telephone book, from your local hospital or the website of the British Association for Sexual Health and HIV

-Clinics are confidential and will not inform GPs of any results unless specifically requested to do so. You can attend one of these clinics at any age, even if you are under 16.

-Some people now choose to be tested for Chlamydia and some other infections when starting a new sexual relationship.

-A person with confirmed chlamydia should also be offered screening for other sexually transmitted infections which may be present without symptoms. Visit www.DH-NCSP.gov.uk for more information.