Almost one in ten people believe chlamydia is a flower and 15 per cent thought syphilis was a heavy metal band, shocking new research reveals. The poll showed a serious lack of awareness around sexually transmitted diseases (STIs).

It revealed a fifth of people still say they have 'no idea' what symptoms to look out for, and more than a third admit they have never had an STI test despite being sexually active.

In fact, the average age of a person who has never had a test was 43. 

The poll also illuminated that dangerous myths surrounding sexual health are still widespread.

More than half of people incorrectly believe STI’s can be caught from a toilet seat, while almost a third think you could only catch an STI from full sexual intercourse.

As part of the study, researchers questioned 2,372 UK-based adults, aged 18-65, on their knowledge of STIs. Every person in the study said they were sexually active, but had never had an infection themselves.

Researchers gave them a list of 20 words: some of which were genuine STIs, some were made-up infections and some were random words.

Each word had a multiple choice of four potential answers connected to it, of which one was the correct answer.

They found five per cent of people wrongly believe gonorrhoea is be a form of diarrhoea, while 39 per cent thought that trichomoniasis, an infection chiefly affecting the urinary tract, vagina, or digestive system, is a disease that only plants and trees can develop. 

Researchers asked them a series of questions to further understand their knowledge of STIs and whether the UK needs more education on the matter.

They were initially asked if they felt they knew enough about STIs, with over two thirds (68 per cent) stating that their knowledge of infections was ‘basic at best’.

This group was then asked if they think they would know what kind of symptoms to look out for.

The majority (62 per cent) stated they know ‘a couple of obvious symptoms’ with 21 per cent admitting that they have no idea what symptoms to look out for in any cases of STIs.

When asked about sexual health education they had received from their school and parents at a younger age, the vast majority (88 per cent) admitted that they didn’t receive enough and confessed that they wouldn’t know what to look out for in regards to particular sexually transmitted diseases.

Despite revealing to researchers that they are sexually active, over a third of respondents (36 per cent) revealed that they have never had an STI test.

Interestingly, the average age of those who had never had a test emerged as 43.

The study was carried out by online pharmacy company MedExpress.co.uk.