Warning over sex disease ‘crisis’

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A national safe sex campaign is needed to counter a dramatic rise in the number of cases of sexually transmitted diseases, a group of MPs has warned.

They described the problem as a full blown crisis and said it particularly affects young people who have become complacent about the risks.

One of the groups causing the most concern was young women, who were increasingly likely to be infected.

BBC political correspondent Paul Wilenius said it was thought that ‘ladette’ culture had contributed to women having sex with more people and at a younger age.

Responsibility

The latest official figures show a big rise in the number of HIV cases, but there is a similar increase in the incidence of more traditional diseases like gonorrhoea and syphilis.

Experts and politicians fear that many people are becoming blase about the dangers posed by these diseases.

They think that more and more people are ignoring the safe sex message.

The group wants the government to do more to tell people - especially the young - about the need take greater responsibility for their sexual health.

‘Crisis point’

The chairman of the Commons Health Select Committee David Hinchcliffe said that in some parts of the country - including London and Manchester - the clinics dealing with sexually transmitted diseases were near to collapse.

He said: “The picture in many parts of the UK is extremely worrying… I think the sexual health services in various parts of England in particular have reached crisis point.”

The committee will publish its report in the next few weeks.

It is expected to call for more money from the government, better sex education and more sexual responsibility from the public.

Any campaign would be likely to draw on the experience of the 1980s, when the government highlighted the need to practice safe sex as concern about HIV and Aids grew.

Shadow Health Minister Simon Burns said: “In the last few years, ignorance, complacency and changing sexual habits have led to an explosion in STIs, particularly amongst younger people.

“This is partially due to ignorance resulting from the absence of hard hitting advertising campaigns, and a new generation of younger people oblivious to the dangers posed by STIs.

“The government’s response has been slow and complacent.

“In many parts of the country, clinical and medical services are close to collapse with long waiting lists to be seen to get medical treatment and low prioritisation of the services available to cope with the problem.”

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