STI hotspots in England today are named and shamed by an interactive map showing how widespread gonorrhea, chlamydia and syphilis are in your area.
The most affected authorities have seen a 510 percent increase in STI rates in one year, analysis shows.
York took the crown for the biggest growth in gonorrhea cases, while South Tyneside and Torbay took first place for syphilis and chlamydia respectively.
This comes after health authorities in Europe warned yesterday of a similar rise in STIs.
Covid lockdown rules effectively put an end to casual sex, leading to a drop in STI transmission during the pandemic.
Experts suspect this was followed by a post-lockdown boom in the number of people having condomless sex with new or casual partners.
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Data analyzed by the Local Government Association shows Lambeth in London is the country’s capital.
The borough, home to Brixton and parts of Clapham, recorded 1,220.5 cases of gonorrhea per 100,000 people in 2022.
This equates to approximately one in every 100 people testing positive for the virus.
The actual numbers are likely higher because not everyone who gets STO will get tested. Additionally, some people may also get the disease more than once.
But York saw the biggest jump, recording a 380 per cent increase in the space of a year.
Only two of 152 local authorities, Sandwell and Reading, saw rates fall year on year.
Gonorrhea is usually spread through contact with infected sexual fluids. The bacteria can infect the cervix, urethra, rectum, throat, or eyes.
It is usually transmitted through unprotected vaginal, oral, or anal sex, as well as through sharing sex toys that are similarly used without a condom.
Symptoms of gonorrhea usually flare up within two weeks of infection and include unusual discharge from the genitals and a burning sensation when urinating.
But experts warn that one in 10 men and half of women will not experience any obvious symptoms, meaning they may be silent spreaders of the STI.
If left untreated, it can cause infertility and, although rare, life-threatening sepsis.
Syphilis rates have also soared, with the City of London recording the highest rate in the country (324.9 cases per 100,000 people).
South Tyneside, south-east of the city of Newcastle upon Tyne, recorded the highest annual growth in cases.
Rates soared 510 percent to 12.1 cases per 100,000 people in 2022, up from just 2 cases per 100,000 people the previous year.
Syphilis usually causes the development of small sores on or around the genitals and/or anus, and white warty growths in the same areas.
It usually takes three weeks from infection for symptoms of infection to develop.
If left untreated, it can cause extremely serious and life-threatening health problems, damaging the function of the heart, brain, nerves and other organs.
Around two-thirds of local areas in England experienced an increase in syphilis rates in 2022.
The City of London was also the country’s chlamydia capital in 2022, with 1,531.7 cases per 100,000 people.
But Torbay, in the south-west, took the crown for the biggest year-on-year increase, with rates soaring 131.5 per cent.
Chlamydia It is considered one of the most common STIs in the UK, partly because most people do not show any symptoms and therefore do not get tested.
Symptoms, when they occur, may include pain when urinating. Women may also have tummy pain and bleed after sex or between periods.
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Men, in addition to pain when urinating, may also experience pain and swelling in the testicles as a symptom.
If left untreated, chlamydia can cause infertility in women and cause a painful inflammation of the ducts that carry sperm from the testicles called epididymitis.
It can also cause a temporary form of arthritis in both sexes.
Only a dozen local authorities in England recorded a drop in chlamydia rates in 2022, but not all recorded figures.
The STI figures were compiled by the Government’s Health Disparities Office and analyzed by the Local Government Association (LGA).
Earlier this year, the LGA raised the alarm about the scale of the problem facing sexual health services in England.
Many sexual health services in England are funded by public health grants.
However, the LGA says these grants have been reduced in real terms by £880 million over almost a decade, compromising their ability to support sexual health services.
The best way to determine if you have an STI is to contact your GP or an NHS sexual health clinic for a free test.
Some local areas offer free STI testing kits delivered by mail, although access to them varies.
Most STIs can be easily treated through treatment with medications such as antibiotics, but the danger is that people may not experience any symptoms that indicate they are infected, which could spread the disease further.
