So here it is, Merry Chlamydia

Last week they were measuring kids and finding out they were slightly less obese than they used to be.

But this NHS Norfolk press release takes the biscuit.....


NHS Norfolk is sending its own 'seasons greetings' to thousands of young people in the county this Christmas...

As Christmas cards pour through everyone's letter boxes, a select band will be receiving a different sort of card altogether - an invitation to take a Chlamydia test!

The message from NHS Norfolk is avoid giving someone something unpleasant this Christmas - take care of your sexual health, take a free test and have a Chlamydia-free New Year!

"OK, it's not the usual sort of Christmas card you'd normally expect but we think offering a free Chlamydia test is a gift this year!" said NHS Norfolk's Sexual Health Commissioning Manager, Julie Hughes.

90,000 young people aged between 15 and 24 are receiving invitations through the post in stages, letting them know they are entitled to a free test and urging them to take up the offer.

"It's crucial that young people who are sexually active do all they can to avoid passing on the Chlamydia infection or having it without realising," said Julie.

"The test is simple to take - it just requires a 'pee in a pot' which you send off for analysis. If you're positive, you can obtain a simple course of drugs from your pharmacist or GP."

Chlamydia is a disease that rarely shows symptoms but can cause infertility in women.

The mail-out campaign, inviting every eligible person in the screening programme (aged 15-24), follows the rollout of a website called www.areyougettingit.com and an advertising van equipped with Bluetooth technology to send phone messages to anyone within 100 metres.

It will be continuing into the New Year.