Football fans could put their health at risk during the World Cup this summer by drinking too much and having unprotected sex, a charity has warned.

THT has published an online guide, entitled Scoring Without Getting an Own Goal, to give sports fans tips for safe sex this summer.

THT spokeswoman Genevieve Edwards said: "If people are getting so drunk they can't remember what they did the night before, it's more than likely protected sex and condoms won't have been top of their priority list.

"This is really worrying in relation to the World Cup this year, with thousands of people gathering in both the UK and South Africa to watch the tournament, enjoying a holiday atmosphere, having a lot to drink and potentially putting themselves at huge risk of sexually transmitted infections and HIV if they are forgetting about protected sex.

"With the UK having the worst sexual health in Western Europe and 5.2 million people living with HIV and AIDS in South Africa, the highest rate in any country, it's vitally important sports fans look after themselves by using condoms throughout the World Cup this summer, whether at home or abroad."

The campaign is being backed by Dr Christian Jessen, presenter of Channel Four's Embarrassing Bodies and THT supporter.

He said: "The World Cup is bound to put you in the mood for some post-match fun. With the sun hopefully shining, lots of drinks on the go and masses of people gathering in pubs across the UK and abroad it's the perfect pulling ground.

"But it's also likely to be a time you might forget all about safer sex and put yourself at risk of those oh-so-passion-killing sexually transmitted infections."

(Read by Lee Hannon. Lee Hannon is a journalist at the China Daily Web site.)

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(Agencies)