Cases of sexually transmitted infections are increasing in England.
In 2018, there were 447,694 new diagnoses of STIs, a 5% increase on the 422,147 in 2017.
Gonorrhoea increased the most – by 26% to 56,259 cases, the largest number since 1978.
There were 7,541 cases of syphilis – a 5% increase on 2017.
High-risk groups include young people and men who have sex with men.
The most commonly diagnosed STIs were:
chlamydia (218,095 cases, 49% of all new STI diagnoses)
genital warts (57,318 cases, 13%)
gonorrhoea (56,259 cases, 13%)
genital herpes (33,867 cases, 8%)
The number of gonorrhoea cases has been increasing for years among both men and women, despite repeated warnings from public health doctors about the risks of unprotected sex.
Sometimes referred to as “the clap”, it is a bacterial infection passed between people through unprotected sex. Read more