The Brook Advisory Centre has produced an information pack for young people in the hope of stopping the rise in teenagers becoming infected with sexually-transmitted diseases.

The information pack

Many young people are catching and passing on STDs, sometimes without even being aware of it.

While most appear confident and well-informed about HIV and Aids in particular, not all teenagers are taking sensible precautions.

The Brook's initiative is also aimed at lesser known sexual infections.

Equally, when young people do contract diseases it wants to ensure they seek prompt treatment.

Alison Hadley

Alison Hadley, a spokeswoman for the centre, said: "If we do catch infections early on they can be easily treated and don't cause the complications.

"For instance, chlamydia is an infection that, if you leave untreated, can cause infertility and lots of people don't know that. About one in 10 teenagers will be carrying chlamydia today."

Chlamydia is the one of the most common STDs, particularly among the young. Up to 80% of women and 10% of men who are infected notice no symptoms.

But left untreated it can lead inflammation of the pelvis, infertility or pregnancy complications.

The Brook hopes that by targeting young people with high-quality information when they are still at school, it can halt the increase in such diseases and the potentially drastic consequences.

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