England’s gonorrhea hotspots mapped… so is YOUR area one of the worst hit?
Data shows that the number of cases of gonorrhea has more than tripled in some parts of England in five years.
Outbreaks of the STD, formerly known as ‘the blow’, have increased dramatically, especially in boroughs such as Wigan and Dorset.
But almost every area in the country saw an increase (91 percent) between 2017 and 2022.
Wigan saw the biggest jump in the number of cases of bacterial infection, which spreads easily through sexual fluids.
In 2022, 130.7 cases per 100,000 people were recorded, an increase of 357 percent over the 2017 figure (28.6).
An analysis shows that gonorrhea was booming in places such as Wigan, Dorset, Somerset, Devon and Torbay. Image is a 3D illustration of the bacterium Neisseria gonorrhoeae, the pathogen that causes the STD gonorrhea
The Local Government Association, behind the analysis, said the upturn showed the need for urgent government investment in sexual health care.
Other areas that saw an explosion of cases include Dorset, which rose from 12.3 cases per 100,000 people in 2017 to 51.1 in 2012, and Somerset (14.8 to 57.8).
Of the 153 local areas included in the analysis, only five in England saw the number of gonorrhea diagnoses decrease over the past five years.
These were Reading (down 41 per cent), West Northamptonshire (down 29 per cent), Solihull (down 14 per cent), Sunderland (down 6 per cent) and Plymouth (down 0.1 per cent).
Lambeth in London remained the gonorrhea capital of the country with 1,220.5 cases per 100,000 people, the equivalent of about one in 100 people.
This was an increase of 84 percent compared to 2017, when the municipality still ranked first, with 664.1 cases per 100,000 inhabitants.
Although the explosion in gonorrhea diagnoses was the most dramatic example, similar problems were seen with other sexually transmitted infections.
Cases of syphilis have increased in 71 per cent of all local authorities in England.
Middlesbrough saw the most dramatic increase between 2017 and 2022, with the number of diagnosed cases increasing by 935 percent (44.5 cases per 100,000 people).
Chlamydia detection increased in 36 percent of local authority areas, with the largest increase in the City of London at 121 percent (1,531.7 cases per 100,000 residents).
The figures were collected by the Government’s Office of Health Disparities and analyzed by the Local Government Association (LGA).
Cllr David Fothergill, chairman of the LGA’s community wellbeing council, said the data showed the scale of demand for sexual health services and would require government support to meet it.
“These statistics show that local sexual health services are struggling to cope with an unprecedented increase in demand,” he said.
‘The Government must ensure that sexual health funding is increased to levels that match these strong increases.
‘Investing in sexual health services helps prevent long-term illness and unwanted pregnancies, reducing pressure on our NHS and improving the health of people in our communities.’
Many sexual health services in England are funded through public health grants.
However, the LGA says these grants have been reduced in real terms by £880 million over almost a decade, putting their ability to support sexual health services at risk.
Dr. Claire Dewsnap, chair of the British Association for Sexual Health and HIV (BASHH), said the figures show the need for action.
“BASHH has repeatedly emphasized that without adequate investment, sexual health service users will face serious challenges in their ability to access expert, timely care,” she said.
‘These data demonstrate not only the deeply worrying trajectory of STD infection growth, but also the need for a robust national strategy, supported by adequate funding.
“As the demand for care increases, without immediate action we are jeopardizing our ability to protect our nation’s sexual health.”