Sexually transmitted infections (STIs)

Since 1995 there has been a rise in the diagnosis of acute sexually transmitted infections such as genital chlamydia, gonorrhoea, syphilis and genital warts. Chlamydia cases increased by 252% between 1995 and 2006, gonorrhoea increased by 80% and syphilis, though affecting only a small number of people, increased by 1,861%. In particular, there have been large and increasing numbers of diagnoses among teenage women and men who have sex with men. This may be because more people are aware of STIs and are visiting clinics to be tested, but risky behaviour continues to be a factor in the increase.

Genito-Urinary Medicine (GUM)

GUM clinics in the United Kingdom diagnosed 113,585 cases of chlamydia during 2006 and 83,745 cases of genital warts. 19,007 cases of gonorrhoea were reported and 21,698 cases of genital herpes were found. 2,766 syphilis cases were reported.

There is evidence that young people's awareness of sexually transmitted infections is increasing but that they do not perceive themselves as at risk.   A survey in 2004 found that 92% of women and 87% of men aged 16-24 were aware of chlamydia but only 58% of women and 64% of men in the same age group always used condoms.

This is borne out by figures from GUM clinics. In 2006, 77% of diagnoses of chlamydia infection in women occurred in the under 25 age group; 36% of diagnoses were in 16-19 year old young women.   It is estimated that as many as one in ten sexually active young women may have the infection.

There were 7,093 new diagnoses of HIV during 2006.     This is lower than the number diagnosed during the previous year leading to hopes that the number of new diagnoses may be stabilising although the number remains more than twice as many as in 1985.    It is currently estimated that 63,500 people are living with HIV in the United Kingdom, around a third of whom are undiagnosed.

There is a strong link between social deprivation and STIs. The rates of gonorrhoea in some inner city black and minority ethnic groups, for instance, are ten or eleven times higher than in whites.

For more information, download the Brook factsheet Sexually Transmitted Infections