Teenagers will now be able to avoid the embarrassment of visiting an STD clinic by simply taking a DIY test for Chlamydia that can be sent to the clinic through the post.

The scheme will be trialled by the Dorset Sexual Health team in an attempt to cut the rise in Chlamydia among people aged 16 to 24. During the four-day scheme, Dorset's young people will be offered free DIY Chlamydia test kits, which are called Not For Virgins. In order to launch the scheme, a Dorset sexual health team van will be touring towns such as Weymouth, Littlemoor, Portland, Dorchester and Lyme Regis to raise awareness.

Barry Alborough, who is the Weymouth Community Hospital sexual health matron, said that these DIY tests are vitally important because almost 2,600 young people in Dorset could be unaware they currently have the infection. He said: "Dorset is an area known for its lively, youthful social life, but recently we have seen an alarming increase in STIs in young people, with Chlamydia being the most common."
Chlamydia is often labelled the silent epidemic because it can have no physical symptoms. Indeed, many cases of Chlamydia go undiagnosed because around 50% of infected men and 70% of infected women do not have any symptoms. Despite this, the infection can have serious effects if left untreated, including infertility in women and painful swollen testicles in men.

Mr Alborough said that these tests could help prevent people from accidentally passing the infection to future sexual partners. He said that a man from Shaftesbury recently carried out a test and was shocked to find that he had the infection. He said: "He is a typical teenager who enjoys partying on weekends and having a number of partners in the bedroom. Although he practised safe sex most of the time, he admitted after a few drinks he isn't always vigilant about wearing a condom. After being persuaded by a friend to be tested, he was shocked to hear that he had Chlamydia because he had no physical problems. Indeed, if we hadn't identified the problem he may have gone on to infect future partners."

Last year, almost 2,000 young people aged 16 - 24 in Dorset were screened for Chlamydia and a substantial 7% tested positive for the sexually transmitted infection (STI). Sexual health experts are hoping that the free Not For Virgins test kits, which involve a urine sample for men and a self-taken swab for women, will help to diagnose and treat even more young people this year, as well as raise awareness of STIs and sexual health in general.