In July 2009, the Health Protection Agency released figures on sexually transmitted infections (STIs) in the UK for 2008. They showed that 12% of the population is 16 to 24 years old, yet this age group accounts for more than half of all newly diagnosed STIs in the UK:
65% of chlamydia, 55% of genital warts, 47% of gonorrhoea, 44% of herpes, and 17% of syphilis infections diagnosed in GUM (genitourinary medicine) clinics last year.
If you have sex without a condom, the odds of catching an STI are quite high. You can’t tell by looking at someone whether they’ve got an STI. These infections don’t always have any symptoms, which means that you might not even know if you’ve caught something. You then run the risk of not getting treatment and of passing it on to others.
You only need to have unprotected sex once to get an STI or pass one on. So if you’ve only had sex once, you could still be infected. The more sexual partners you have, the more at risk you are. This is true whether you have more than one partner at the same time or at different times.
My brief to the 1st year group
Present a poster campaign to the target audience that will be on display in the toilets of pubs and clubs this Christmas, that focuses on one STI and warns of the dangers as well as giving advice on what to do if they’re concerned.
