Burning desire part one

If you've recently been out on the sexual prowl, hopefully you've been safe rather than sorry and taken precautions. Alarming new evidence shows that STIs are on the rise. Even instances of syphilis - practically eradicated by penicillin after World War II - have increased by 54 per cent in young women and doubled in young men.

'The statistics are very alarming,' says Dr Stephen Higgins, a consultant at the genito-urinary medicine centre at North Manchester General Hospital. 'Normally I'd have to work for 50 years to see the number of syphilis cases I've seen in the last 20 months.'

The rise in syphilis is just a glimpse into the sharp increase in the number of diagnosed cases of sexually transmitted infections throughout the UK, particularly among young women. For example, cases of gonorrhoea in young women in England and Wales are at their highest in 10 years. Experts believe the dramatic rise suggests an increase in heterosexually transmitted gonorrhoea. Previously the infection was most prevalent among gay men.

Then there's chlamydia, which has increased by 76 per cent in the UK since l995, with 33,000 new cases reported last year. This is particularly worrying, since chlamydia is the most common cause of serious gynaecological problems in young women, including ectopic pregnancy and infertility. 'The effects of chlamydia can be devastating if not detected and treated,' says Dr Jenny Hopwood of the Wirral Health Authority Chlamydia Unit. 'It costs the government over £200 million a year in ectopic pregnancies, infertility and pelvic pain.'

A bacteria-like micro-organism passed on during sex, chlamydia shows few or no symptoms, but if caught early can be successfully treated with antibiotics. Because of its lack of obvious symptoms, GPs often miss, or misdiagnose the infection. 'Nearly 50 per cent of the women who come to me have been inaccurately diagnosed by GPs. Testing at a genito-urinary medicine (GUM) clinic is the best way to find out if you have chlamydia or not,' adds Dr Hopwood. Although NHS screening trials for chlamydia are being held in GP practices in London and Nottingham, Dr Hopwood would like to see a screening programme for women introduced nationwide.