Baby boomers at increasing risk of STDs

THERE was good news for baby boomers yesterday – those born in the years after the Second World War are generally in ‘fantastic’ health, the chief medical officer said.

Every silver lining has a cloud, however. In this case it is the revelation that record numbers of this generation are succumbing to sexually transmitted infections.

Dame Sally Davies said the rise was partly caused by rising divorce rates, casual sex and a belief that condoms were only for the young.

Latest figures show that the number of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) among the 50 to 70 age group have soared by 38 per cent. There were 15,726 reported STIs in 2014 – the latest reported data – up from 11,366 in 2010. Dame Sally called for safe sex awareness campaigns to be targeted towards the baby boomer generation because they would not have had sex education lessons at school.

She warned that there was a misconception among 50 to 70 year olds that condoms were not needed because pregnancy chances were so low.

In a report examining the health of this generation, she cited figures showing that as many as 14 per cent of men in their early 50s had been with three or more women in the past five years. The trend is far lower among women – only 4 per cent had three or more sexual partners within this time.

She said the surge in STIs was likely to be caused by to ‘increasing divorce rates,’ ‘repartnering’ and declining use of condoms with age. ‘The key significance is that Baby Boomers remain sexually active and have under-recognised needs,’ she added.

The most common STIs include chlamydia, gonorrhoea, herpes, syphilis and genital warts.

Rates for the 50 to 70 age group are at their highest on record, although this may partly be due to better detection methods.

But many adults who are infected don’t experience symptoms which is why they are spread so quickly. Most can be treated with antibiotics although if undiagnosed they may increase the risk of some cancers and cause severe pelvic infections in women.

Overall, however, Dame Sally said the baby boomers were in ‘fantastic’ health but urged them to do more to prevent future illness by cutting back on alcohol, losing weight and exercising.

Public health expert Dr Gwenda Hughes said: ‘Young adults under 25 have the highest rates of STIs, however you can get an STI at any age and we recommend that anyone who has sex with a new or casual partner uses condoms.’