U.K. group says older people often lack knowledge about STDs and how to prevent them.

Do middle-aged people need sex ed?

The number of forty- and fiftysomethings in the U.K diagnosed with a sexually transmitted disease last year was double the number in 2000, according to data reported in the Daily Mail.

Nearly 13,000 middle-aged men and women were diagnosed in 2009 with an STD, according to data analyzed by the Family Planning Association.

The incidence of the STD chlamydia among women above the age of 45 rose 95% in the past nine years, and the FPA is seeing a 30% increase in the number of calls to its helpline from older citizens concerned about sexually transmitted diseases.

To draw attention to the issue, the FPA is launching a campaign, The Middle-age Spread, that targets Brits over 50.

Individuals who are leaving long-term relationships now use social networking to start dating again, but may be "apparently oblivious to the need for safer sex and the importance of condoms," according to the FPA, as reported by the Daily Mail.

FPA chief executive Julie Bentley says people in this age group may find it hard to discuss issues surrounding sex.

"We celebrate the positive and fulfilling sexuality of the over-50s, but we also have to get the message across that STIs (sexually transmitted infections) don’t care about graying hair and a few wrinkles," she said. "This is a concerning situation which unless we take action now is only going to get worse."

nydailynews.com