Flavoured condoms in matchbook-style packages will be delivered to Nunavut communities as part of a new safe sex campaign aimed at young people. (CBC)

Health officials in Nunavut are giving out flavoured condoms to young people as part of a campaign to try to halt the steady rise in sexually transmitted infections.

Nunavut has STI rates 17 times above the national average, and the number of gonorrhea cases in the territory jumped by 200 per cent between 2006 and 2008, according to officials.

As well, more than 1,000 people tested positive for chlamydia in 2008.

"We believe that when people respect themselves, they'll also want to protect themselves against sexually transmitted infections as well," Dr. Isaac Sobol, Nunavut's chief medical officer of health, told reporters in Iqaluit on Thursday.

"Nunavut has very high rates of chlamydia and gonorrhea infections, and this campaign is designed to change attitudes towards condom use."

Flavour of the month

The new youth sexual health campaign, titled I Respect Myself, targets youth as young as 14 years old.

As part of the campaign, flavoured condoms are being delivered to all Nunavut communities. A different flavour will be profiled each month, starting this month with strawberry.

"Some research in other jurisdictions have shown that flavoured condoms, coloured condoms are very popular with kids," Sobol said.

The campaign also includes new posters and a website with information about sexual health and STIs.

"We're not encouraging anyone to have sex. However, informing those who are about the risks and safety measures is critical," said Jenny Rand, a community health co-ordinator in Cambridge Bay.

While the condoms will be available mostly in health centres, Rand said schools in Gjoa Haven and Kugaaruk have also expressed interest in carrying some.