Sexual infections hit record high in post-Covid surge
CASES of gonorrhoea and other sexually transmitted infections have soared to record levels following a decline during Covid lockdowns, official figures show.
In england, 392,453 STIs were detected in 2022 – more than 1,000 a day and a yearon-year rise of 23.8 per cent.
There were 82,592 positive tests for gonorrhoea, which is up 50.3 per cent on 2021 and the highest number since records began in 1918. Labs also detected 8,692 cases of syphilis, the most since 1948.
The UK Health Security Agency said the sharp rise in STIs ‘strongly suggests’ there is more transmission, although some of the hike is due to increased testing. Pandemic rules banned people from different households from mixing and forced bars and nightclubs to temporarily close.
Health officials believe this was followed by a rise in people having unprotected sex with new or casual partners.
The figures show rates rising even among the very young and in older people, with 50 cases of gonorrhoea diagnosed among 13 to 14- year- olds and 537 among over-65s. The disease was most widespread in London, with 383.4 cases of gonorrhoea diagnosed out of every 100,000 people in the capital in 2022 compared with 68 per 100,000 in the east of england.
Chlamydia diagnoses increased by 24.3 per cent between 2021 and 2022, to 199,233. This includes 68,882 among 15 to 24year-olds. The UKHSA said the age group are most likely to contract STIs and urged those who are having sex with new or casual partners to use protection and get tested regularly.
It said STIs are usually easily treated with antibiotics but many can cause serious health issues if left untreated.
Chlamydia and gonorrhoea can cause infertility and pelvic inflammatory disease, while syphilis can cause potentially life-threatening problems with the brain, heart or nerves.
Dr Hamish Mohammed, consultant epidemiologist at the UKHSA, said: ‘Increased testing is likely to have played a part in the rise in diagnoses, but the scale of the increase strongly suggests that there is
‘Wake-up call to inspire action’
more transmission of these STIs within the population.’
In 2022, there were 2,195,909 diagnostic tests for chlamydia, gonorrhoea, syphilis or HIV – 13.4 per cent more than 2021.
Richard Angell of the Terrence Higgins Trust, a sexual health charity, said: ‘We’ve been waiting four years for Government’s sexual and reproductive health action plan and this latest data must come as a wake-up call to inspire action.’