Syphilis and gonorrhoea hit record levels in England

Gonorrhoea cases hit record levels last year, while syphilis diagnosis reached the highest level since just after the Second World War, new figures show.

New data from the UK Health Security Agency (UKSA) shows 8,692 cases of syphilis were recorded in 2022, the largest annual figures since 1948.

Gonorrhoea cases hit a high of 82,592 last year - a 50% increase compared to 2021. This is the highest number in any one year since records began in 1918, according to the UKHSA.

The public health authority said gonorrhoea cases are becoming “increasingly resistant” to antibiotics and are “at risk of becoming untreatable in the future.”

Overall there was a 24% increase in sexually transmitted infection diagnoses in 2022 and local council leaders warned sexual health services are “at risk of breaking point” as demand rises alongside real-term cuts to funding.

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Source: The Independent, 7 June 2023