The number of young men aged 16 to 19 diagnosed with the infection has quadrupled, although there are still far fewer young men with the disease than young women - at 8,250. The number of under-16s of both sexes diagnosed with chlamydia has also increased dramatically, according to the Health Protection Agency - from 956 young women in 1996 to 2,652 in 2005, and from 90 young men in 1996 to 290 in 2005.
Jan Barlow, chief executive of sexual health charity Brook, said: "This illustrates how desperately investment in sexual health services is needed. The Government needs to prioritise prevention too. Young people are particularly at risk of contracting an infection such as chlamydia."
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