Lie back and think of England

It would explain why some 8,000 teenagers under 16 fall pregnant in the UK every year - the worst record in Europe. Sex education is compulsory at secondary school (although parents can withdraw their children), but is only a government recommendation in primary school. With children as young as 10 and 11 having sex, it is too little too late. It also doesn't help when safe sex initiatives receive hysterical reactions -recall the furore over plans to make the morning after pill available in chemists and schools.

The government initiative
So how do we tackle the growing numbers of sexually transmitted infections? The government has recently announced plans to test much more widely for STIs and to target a screening programme for chlamydia. This will be backed by a major television and newspaper campaign on the dangers of STIs and an initiative to reduce new HIV infections by 25% in the next six years.

But is it enough? Professor John Ashton, Regional Director for Public Health in the North West where cases of STIs are particularly high, argues that the sexual health strategy also needs to promote greater cooperation between agencies dealing with sexual health issues. 'Traditionally they have all worked separately without pooling information. This has to be changed if we are to keep up to date with what's going on sexually.'