Burning desire part one

The truth is, no one knows why safe sex may be fading into a forgotten practice. The figures speak for themselves, however, and as a result, the government has announced plans to spend £4 million on the biggest safe sex campaign since the late 1980s. It starts at the end of the year. Knowing the British, the two-year TV and newspaper advertising campaign may not be enough to drum the safe sex message home. As a nation, we've never been particularly good at talking about sex. It's something we discuss only if we have to, and when we do it's taken lightly and put in the same joke category as farts and mothers-in-law. Although increased consumption of drugs and alcohol among young men and women may in part be responsible, until sex is on the political agenda and sex education is not seen as undermining the nation's morality, STIs will continue to flourish in a climate of ignorance.

If you think you may have an STI, go to your doctor or local genito-urinary medicine clinic straight away (your local clinic is listed in the telephone directory). These clinics are attached to hospitals and you don't need an appointment. You may feel embarrassed at first, but the risks STIs pose to your health are too high to ignore.

For specific facts about sexually transmitted infections, see Burning desire part two