Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) are at their highest peak in over a decade. Cadillac Carter explains the importance of practising safe sex

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.

One reason the increase in various STIs is particularly disturbing is because it suggests people may be abandoning safe sex. 'This is an extremely worrying situation, especially because we thought we had conquered diseases like syphilis and gonorrhoea,' says Professor John Ashton, the North West Regional Director for Public Health. 'It could be that people are becoming more lax in their attitude towards protecting themselves and their partners, or it could be that the influence of drugs or alcohol blurs the safe sex issue,' he adds.

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