Sweden gets cheeky in safe sex toilet campaign

Swedish health care authorities are warning young travellers this summer against sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) by posting cheeky messages on airport toilet seats, a project leader said on Tuesday.

Starting June 15, travellers using the loos at airports in central and southern Sweden, including Skavsta airport outside Stockholm, will be greeted with a message on the toilet seat that reads: "You won't catch chlamydia here. You'll catch it after the beach party on Rhodes. Take care of yourself this summer. Use a condom."

"We wanted to rely on a new way of sending out a message. If we were to display the information in the ordinary spots, we would probably not get the same kind of attention," Caroline Lundh, one of the people in charge of the campaign, told AFP.

The campaign, named "Ligg lugnt" in Swedish ("Get laid, get safe"), was being financed by eight counties and regional councils.

Lundh said it was aimed at 20 to 30-year-olds heading off on holiday who rarely use condoms, and who are the main group at risk of contracting the venereal disease chlamydia. Condoms are expected to be dispensed free of charge in the airports.

When returning from their holidays, travellers will be met by a life-size picture of a young woman in a short dress holding a sign reading: "You didn't bring back an STD in your luggage, did you? Take a test if you're worried."

According to campaign organisers, around 38,000 Swedes contracted HIV, gonorrhoea or chlamydia last year. They did not provide specific statistics for each disease.

© 2015 AFP