STIs being diagnosed in young adults every four minutes in the UK

By Dr. Ananya Mandal, MDOct 26 2018

According to latest statistics, one young person is diagnosed with a sexually-transmitted infection (STI) every four minutes in England.

According to the Public Health England (PHE) there were 144,000 cases of chlamydia or gonorrhoea infections over the last one year among adults aged 15 and 24 years and this means nearly 400 persons are detected with these infections per day.

Condom. Image Credit: Shutterstock

The PHE revealed these alarming numbers while launching its “Protect Against STIs” campaign on 25th October 2018 to raise public awareness regarding safe sex. The PHE is promoting the use of condoms among the population as one of the most important measures to prevent STIs. The PHE warns that STIs can not just be a temporary nuisance but can affect a person for life with several conditions such as pelvic inflammatory diseases (PID), infertility, arthritis, cervical cancers etc. resulting from it. Among pregnant women STIs can result in miscarriages and stillbirths.

The experts reveal that in 2017 there were 420,000 cases of diagnosed STIs in England, nearly half of which were due to Chlamydia (200,000). Gonorrhoea was seen in 44,000 cases, the numbers reveal. Young adults between ages 15 and 24 years were diagnosed with 63 percent cases of Chlamydia and 37 percent of gonorrhoea cases, the reports say. The rise in gonorrhoea cases was a 22 percent when compared to 2016 data.

According to a statement from Dr Hamish Mohammed, principal scientist for STI epidemiology at PHE, “Young people are more likely to be diagnosed with an STI than people aged 25 and older. STIs present a real threat to young people, and without using condoms young people are putting themselves and their partners at risk of getting an STI.”

The PHE urges all young adults to practice safe sex and use condoms. They urge all to undergo regular screening for STIs to get appropriate treatment and also to prevent spread of the infection. Not using condoms and practicing safe sex can also result in transmission of HIV, the experts warn.