Australians are facing an increase in chlamydia, gonorrhoea, syphilis, HIV and other infections. Primarily due to young Australians not heeding the safe sex message.

In 2006 over 1000 women aged between 16 and 25 were surveyed, it found that 77 per cent had had sex without a condom at least once, while 84 per cent who had had several partners in the past six months also had had unprotected sex.

The rate of chlamydia infection has been increasing 20 per cent a year since 1998, NSW Health figures show.

While the Annual HIV Surveillance Report shows a 40 per cent increase in cases over the past five years.

It seems that young men and women are not heeding the safe sex message, with more than three-quarters of those who are sexually active saying they have had unprotected sex.

Basil Donovan, professor of sexual health at the National Centre in HIV Epidemiology and Clinical Research has been reported stating that "Young people have managed to … deal with their fear of HIV as essentially a gay issue and not necessarily as a concern for them," he said. "Australia is not doing anywhere near as well at safe sex as in the 1990s - we [used to be] one of the most sexually healthy countries in the world."

The research shows that young women seem to be concerned about pregnancy and the preferred contraception is the pill. Pregnancy is obviously a very visible consequence of failing to have contraceptive protection, however the other health problems of sexual activity have less visible consequence and seem to be easily overlooked. According to Family Planning Australia information on safe sex is readily available to the young they just don't seem to be paying attention.

Research in 2003 on Australian school children confirmed observations that the age at onset of sexual activity has been falling for at least the last 50 years. And indicated that there was a significant increase in the proportion of young people who are drunk or high during sex, particularly in the year 10 age group with 30 per cent of young men in Year 10 and 23 per cent of young women in Year 10 reporting that they were drunk or high the last time they had sex.

In 2007 a study was released overseas which found high levels of children and teens are being exposed to online pornography, mostly by accidentally viewing sexually explicit web sites while surfing the internet.

Pornography on the internet is still growing rapidly and a growing trend in online porn is to have unprotected sex, which is seen as more commercially viable than sexual acts where a condom is used.

Given these trends it is little wonder that unprotected sex is on the increase. Much more effort is needed to provide education to the young and to their parents regarding the serious possible effects of contracting sexually transmitted diseases.

If you are not aware of the serious consequences of unprotected sexual activity of which AIDS is only a part of the issue then I suggest you investigate the following links.

http://www.healthinsite.gov.au/topics/Safe_Sex

http://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au