Syphilis and gonorrhoea on the rise

New data shows cases of the two sexually
transmitted diseases increased by 20% last year

One-Minute Read

New data shows a 20% increase in cases of syphilis and a 22%
increase in gonorrhoea, compared with 2016.

The rise in syphilis follows a ten-year trend, with
three-quarters of new diagnoses in gay and bisexual men.

In a report Public Health England said the impact of STIs
remains greatest in young people aged 15 to 24, especially among
gay men and among black and minority ethnic populations.

While the exact causes of the spike in cases is unknown, the BBC
says STI testing in contraceptive clinics has fallen by 61% since
2015, “which experts say may indicate a squeeze on resources”.
However, the decline may also reflect a rise in the use of home
testing kits – and the availability of testing in other settings,
it says.

Debbie Laycock, from the Terrence Higgins Trust, told the
BBC: “Our sexual health services are stretched
too thinly and demand outweighs availability, with more cuts
already planned”.

“The significant rise in both syphilis and gonorrhoea shows why
further cuts are completely unacceptable and would be extremely
damaging, particularly given the emergence of a new extensively
drug-resistant strain of gonorrhoea.”

However, while there is alarm that some sexually transmitted
diseases are on the rise, a look at the overall figures reveal
diagnoses of STIs in England remained stable in 2017 compared to
2016.

Chlamydia remains the most common STI, accounting for just under
half of the 420,000 cases diagnosed in 2017.