Figures released show that in 2012 there were a total of 448 422 new diagnoses of STI’s, up five percent from 2011. The biggest increase in infections are in people under the age of 25, accounting for over 64 percent of all chlamydia diagnosis and 54 percent of genital warts diagnoses in heterosexuals.
Lambeth had a staggering 27 percent rise in gonorrhoea diagnosis, a situation that could be made even worse with new antibiotic resistant strains.
The rise in STI’s in London alone was up 9 percent from previous years. London has the highest infection rates, 74 percent higher than any other region in England, which means that one if every four new STI diagnosis, was made in the capital.
Other figures showed that Hackney had the highest rate of herpes infections whilst Hammersmith & Fulham had the highest rate of genital warts.
Whilst screening in the capital has improved, people are clearly ignoring warnings and continuing to put themselves at risk of longterm complications such as infertility.
The advice is that sexually active under 25’s should have at least yearly screening for chlamydia, but people with multiple partners should be screened every 3-6 months.
In a lot of cases there are no visible symptoms, so screening is the only way to detect some of these STI’s. Make sure you get tested regularly.