STI surge with spike in syphilis and gonorrhoea reaching report ranges

Cases of syphilis have soared to their highest levels since 1948 while gonorrhoea diagnoses have surged to record levels, official figures show.

The news comes amid an overall rise in sexually transmitted infections (STIs), with 401,800 new diagnoses made in England last year.

The number was up 4.7 per cent from 383,789 in 2022 although cases remain below pre-pandemic levels, with 468,139 recorded in 2019.

While the majority of the 9,513 syphilis cases were in gay men, the UK Health Security Agency said there was a larger ‘proportional rise’ in diagnoses among heterosexual men and women.

There were 1,958 cases diagnosed among heterosexual men and women in 2023, a 22 per cent rise from 2022 when there were 1,608 cases.

The Local Government Association, which represents councils with responsibility for commissioning clinics, blamed the rise in infections on people struggling to access to contraception and the huge demand for care.

Among gay men cases rose by seven per cent over the same period.

Syphilis can be tackled simply with antibiotics, although it can become life-threatening if left untreated, when it can severely damage the brain, heart and nervous system. 

The new STI statistics for England also show 85,223 gonorrhoea cases detected in 2023 – the highest number since records began in 1918.

The disease can cause pregnancy complications and infertility, and has become increasingly resistant to common antibiotics in recent years, concerning experts.

Worryingly, the largest rise in new STIs was among children aged 13 and 14, where the number was up 19.5 per cent year-on-year, to 459.

This was followed by pensioners aged 65 an over, with new cases soaring by 18.2 per cent to 2,885, according to the UKHSA.

Chlamydia accounted for almost half of all new STIs detected, with 194,970 diagnoses in 2023. There were 27,167 first episodes of genital herpes and 26,133 new genital warts.

The Local Government Association, which represents councils with responsibility for commissioning clinics, blamed the rise in infections on people struggling to access to contraception and the huge demand for care.

It added that the figures show the need for next government to launch a 10-year sexual health strategy.

There hasn’t been a new strategy since 2001.

Syphilis is sometimes called ‘the great pretender’ as symptoms are similar to other STIs. Here are five warning signs of the disease to look out for

There was also a five per cent rise in consultations delivered by sexual health services, rising from 4,392,466 to 4,610,410.

The figures show there were 216,050 new STIs in men and 169,475 in women, where the patient’s gender was noted.

Dr Hamish Mohammed, consultant epidemiologist at UKHSA, said: ‘STIs can have a major impact on your health regardless of your age, gender or sexual orientation.

‘The best way to reduce your risk of an infection is to use a condom consistently and correctly with new or casual partners.

‘The NHS provides free, confidential STI testing to detect any potential infections and prevent you passing them on to others.’

Councillor David Fothergill, chairman of the LGA’s Community Wellbeing Board, said: ‘Councils want to continue encouraging more people to visit their local sexual health clinic, in particular hard-to-reach communities.

‘However, today’s figures show sexual health services continue to face rising demand pressures.

‘This is why we are calling for a new 10-year strategy to tackle infection rates, and ensure that sexual health services are properly funded and resourced in the long-term.’