A holiday romance or maybe a one night stand while away on vacation can be a lot of fun, but can also result in some nasty infections.

The number of people contracting sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) or infections is on the increase. People are far more likely to indulge in high risk sexual behaviour while they are on their holidays than they would do normally and this is contributing toward the worrying increase in the number of people contracting various STDs.

Chlamydia is one such disease that has become one of the most commonly occurring STDs today. Left untreated it can cause sterility in both men and women. Symptoms include painful urination, discharge, abdominal pain, nausea and even bleeding from the genitals. Luckily it is easily treated with an appropriate anti-biotic.

Another common STD is herpes. The most common form of the disease is as cold sores but the number of people visiting their doctor for Genital herpes is on the increase. There is no known cure for the disease but the breakouts can be treated with appropriate medication.

The frequency of other STDs including Syphillis, Gonorrhoea and Urethritis are also on the increase. This increase is particularly noticeable in young people who have not received adequate disease information and are not adequately aware of the risks.

Travellers and holiday makers are particularly susceptible to sexual temptation when away from home. A one night stand in a Heathrow Hotel or a drunken liaison while away from home on holiday can easily result in a nasty infection that can present serious health risks and be passed on to others very easily.

One of the reasons for the increasing number of people catching STDs is the lack of awareness and knowledge regarding how to avoid catching diseases of this type.

Basic precautions that anyone can take include:

1. Abstinence: If you don’t have sex with anyone you can’t catch anything
2. Select partners carefully: Casual sex with others who have casual sex significantly raises your chances of catching a STD
3. Examine your partners: Easier said than done, but examination can reveal evidence of infection
4. Use a condom: This will greatly reduce the risk of passing an infection