The list was drawn up for the Public Health Laboratory Service (PHLS), a government body responsible for overseeing public health policy and is published in a report called the Overview of Communicable Diseases.

The survey has been carried out every two years since 1995 and is used to guide public health policy.

HIV and Aids have always topped the priority list, but Dr Diana Walford, director of the PHLS, said it was important that it remained a key area of concern.

The PHLS said the government's vaccination programme against the C strain of the disease had been successful so far, but it said efforts had to be made to tackle other strains of meningitis.

Concern

But doctors and nurses are increasingly concerned about sexually transmitted diseases and have ranked chlamydia as the third most important area to tackle.

"This, and indeed other sexually transmitted infections, pose a significant and often increasing burden of ill-health," said Dr Walford.

"The PHLS is developing new diagnostic and screening methods which should help to ensure that more cases are diagnosed and treated before long term effects occur."

Other diseases ranked in the top 10 include tuberculosis and food poisoning bacteria such as E. coli and salmonella.

New strains of TB have emerged in recent years in different parts of the world and some have proved resistant to existing treatments, raising fears of a possible epidemic.

There has also been a sharp rise in the number of illnesses caused by bugs, and there have been reports of outbreaks of food-related illnesses across the UK.

Dr Walford said the survey would help the PHLS to decide its priorities.

"The survey is an important tool for deciding priorities and allocating resources when set alongside other factors such as public concern, the priorities of the NHS as a whole, and the resources available."