Norwich has been named as the UK hotspot for sexually transmitted infections (STIs), chlamydia, gonorrhea and genital warts, a new analysis has found.
In Bristol, meanwhile, the biggest concerns were syphilis and oral herpes, according to data collected in LloydsPharmacy Online Doctor’s annual Safe Sex Report.
The findings come at a time when condom use continues to decline – and Britain is gripped by a huge rise in STDs, fueled by a sharp increase in the number of teenagers and the elderly.
To compile the report, experts from Lloydspharmacy surveyed 1,000 adults, examining online discussions and search statistics, as well as NHS figures.
They said the results were intended to ‘highlight the importance of safe sex and attitudes towards sexually transmitted infections and contraception’.
According to Google search data, chlamydia is the most searched for STD in Britain, with an average of more than 76,500 searches per month – an increase of 31 percent in a year.
This was followed by HIV, gonorrhea, syphilis and scabies – which, although not strictly speaking an STD, are often transmitted during sexual activity.
The report also shows that the majority of sexually active Britons (41 percent) are intimate once a week.
Norwich has been named as the UK hotspot for sexually transmitted infections (STIs), chlamydia, gonorrhea and genital warts, new analysis shows
Your browser does not support iframes.
One in twelve (eight percent) say they have sex every day, and one in six (17 percent) say this happens once a month.
Three in five indicate that they have ever had an STD, with one in five admitting that they never have safe sex (with a condom).
Taking a closer look at the search data, the report identified specific areas in Britain that were most searched for different STDs.
Norwich (population 418,000) had the highest searches for STDs per capita (per person), with 201 in 100,000 searching for chlamydia in this area.
The city also had the highest number of searches for gonorrhea – with 111 searches per 100,000 people – and HPV, the virus that can cause genital warts – with 63 searches per 100,000.
In Birmingham – population 2.6 million – HIV was the biggest concern, with 129 searches per 100,000 people.
Barrow-in-Furness was named as the UK’s capital over hepatitis fears, while Newcastle topped the list for searches for genital herpes (HSV-2).
Residents of Derry, in Northern Ireland, searched most for scabies, and in the sleepy town of Woking on the south coast – population just over 100,000 – the most searched for mycoplasma genitalium, a bacterial infection.
Your browser does not support iframes.
The findings come at a time when condom use continues to decline – and Britain is gripped by a huge rise in STDs, fueled by a sharp increase in the number of teenagers and the elderly.
The report also used an AI program to analyze Reddit threads discussing STDs. From this they were able to highlight the most and least talked about infections, and the algorithm was also able to assess how stressful comments were.
It found that HIV was the most mentioned and most stressful STD discussed on Reddit, followed by herpes and chlamydia.
Lloydpharmacy Online Doctor GP Dr Bhavini Shah said: ‘HIV and herpes can be a major source of anxiety as they cannot be completely cured.
However, there are medications and treatments available to help manage these conditions.
If you are concerned that you have contracted HIV in the last 72 hours, contact your local sexual health clinic or hospital as soon as possible.’
Herpes, which causes painful blistering ulcers mainly on the mouth and genitals, was also seen as the source of the most social stigma, followed by HIV.
Earlier this year, the UK Health Security Agency reported that 401,800 new STDs would be diagnosed in England in 2023, an increase of 4.7 percent year-on-year.
The strongest increase occurred among children aged 13 and 14, where the number rose by almost a fifth (19.5 percent) to 459.
This was followed by pensioners aged 65 and over, with the number of new cases rising 18.2 per cent to 2,885.
Some Brits engage in risky, unprotected sex after meeting on dating apps, while others start new sexual relationships after getting divorced or widowed in old age.
Concerns have also been raised about children copying what they see in pornography, which they can freely access on their mobile phones.
There was a huge drop in STD infections during the Covid pandemic, followed by a boom as people returned to normal sexual activities.
However, rates are still below pre-pandemic levels.