In 2018, there were 447,694 new diagnoses of STIs, a 5% increase on those in 2017.
Gonorrhoea cases increased the most – by 26%, the largest number since 1978. Syphilis rose by 5%. High-risk groups include young people and men who have sex with men. 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. Gonorrhoea can cause ser-ious long-term health problems, including infertility in women.
A fall in new cases of genital warts were said to be due to the HPV vaccine given to girls (and soon offered to boys too), and some adults.
