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25 August 2010
Nearly half a million people in the UK were newly diagnosed with a sexually transmitted infection (STI) during 2009, according to the latest figures released by the Health Protection Agency (HPA). In 2009 a total of 482,696 new STI diagnoses were reported to the agency from sexual health clinics and community based chlamydia testing. This is almost 12,000 more cases than were recorded in 2008, continuing the steady upward trend we have seen over the last decade. The figures show that 15 to 24 year olds, particularly young women, continue to be the group most affected by sexually transmitted infections (STIs) in the UK. Last year a shocking two thirds of new STI diagnoses in women were in those under 25. Comparitively, in men, over half of new STI diagnoses were in those aged under 25. High rates of STI diagnoses have also been found among men who have sex with men. The peak age for an STI in women is currently between 19 and 20 years and in men, between 20 and 23 years. Sadly of all the 15-24 year olds diagnosed with an STI during 2009, around one in ten of them will become re-infected within a year. Dr Gwenda Hughes, head of the HPA's STI section said, "These latest figures show that poor sexual health is a serious problem among the UK's young adults and men who have sex with men. These figures also highlight the vulnerability of young women. Many studies have shown that young adults are more likely to have unsafe sex and often they lack the skills and confidence to negotiate safer sex. "Re-infection is also a worrying issue - the numbers we're seeing in teenagers are of particular concern as this suggests teenagers are repeatedly putting their own, as well as others, long term health at risk from STIs." The latest overall UK-wide figures show: • Chlamydia diagnoses increased by 7% (from 203,773 in 2008 to 217,570 in 2009) • Gonorrhoea diagnoses increased by 6% (from 16,451 in 2008 to 17,385 in 2009) • Genital herpes diagnoses increased by 5% (from 28,807 in 2008 to 30,126 in 2009) • Genital warts diagnoses stabilised decreasing by just 0.3% (from 91,503 in 2008 to 91,257 in 2009) • Syphilis diagnoses also stabilised decreasing by just 1% (from 3,309 in 2008 to 3,273 in 2009) Dr Hughes continued "We are doing more testing, such as through the National Chlamydia Screening Programme, and some of the tests we are using for gonorrhoea and herpes are more sensitive, so as a result we are now picking up more infections. However, we know that the rise in STIs is also due in part to unsafe sexual behaviour. The safest way to protect yourself against an STI is to use a condom with new partners. Sexually active under 25 year olds should be tested for Chlamydia every year or when they change their partner." By breaking down the STI figures down by the local area of residence in England, the HPA has also been able to identify where within cities STI rates are highest. Almost three quarters (14) of the PCTs featuring in the top 20 are London boroughs. Other PCTs in the top 20 are Brighton and Hove City, Nottingham City, Manchester, Blackpool, Heart of Birmingham, Southampton City and Liverpool. Worryingly, the new figures have also suggested an emergence of potential resistance to drugs used to treat gonorrhoea. HPA scientists have seen an increase from 0.1% in 2005 to 10.6% in 2009 of bacteria which may be less likely to respond to treatment with cefixime - the main antibiotic used to treat this infection in the UK. Professor Cathy Ison, a gonorrhoea expert at HPA's Centre for Infections, said, "At the moment the drugs we use in the UK are still effective for treating gonorrhoea. But our lab tests show that the bacteria are becoming less sensitive to these drugs and the worry is that with we could see gonorrhoea become a very difficult infection to treat within the next five years, as elsewhere in the world. "Potentially this means that in the case of gonorrhoea practicing safe sex may eventually be the only way of controlling the infection if new antibiotic treatments cannot be found.”