Adolescents warned about ‘Love Bug’ on V-Day

LONDON - Young people aged 16-19 years have received Valentines Day missives from health professionals in Britain to raise awareness about the dangers of Chlamydia, an infection that could render them infertile.

The Valentine mail shots were sent to all teenagers in this age bracket, regardless of whether they have ever been sexually active, in a bid to stop the rising levels of Chlamydia across the country.

Having sex on just one occasion in your life can lead to this sexually transmitted infection. Alarmingly, most men and women who get Chlamydia are completely unaware they have it.

Sufferers will typically have no symptoms, but left undiagnosed and untreated, they could face sexual ill-health, infertility and other unpleasant physical symptoms, according to a National Health Service (NHS) statement.

The mailing of the NHS-Chlamydia Screening Service letters coincides with screening events by health professionals around the main college sites.

Sexual Health Adviser for NHS Andrew Wilson said: “This infection is very easy to catch and you only need to have slept with one person to get it. Unfortunately, you won’t always know you have Chlamydia but the effects long term could cause infertility.”