London STIs down 7% but the capital still has the highest number of sexually transmitted infections in England

24 July 2009

Nationally there has been a levelling off in the number of STIs with London following the same trend. In 2008 there were 89,762 new STIs diagnosed in London compared to 96,529 in 2007, which is a fall of 7%.

In London the number of new diagnoses of syphilis fell by 17%, gonorrhoea by 13% and chlamydia by 3%, with the number of new diagnoses of genital herpes and genital warts remaining stable.

Dr Helen Maguire, a consultant in sexual health for the HPA in London, said:

"These declines are very encouraging and are a testament to the hard work of health professionals throughout London. However, this must be seen in the context of large increases in STIs over the last decade as a whole. Although this data suggests that London is heading in the right direction, we know that there is still a substantial pool of people who are infected with STIs and who remain undiagnosed.

"STIs also affect certain groups of people disproportionately. Young Londoners aged 16-24 years, for example, remain the group most affected by STIs and over half of all new Chlamydia diagnoses are in people of that age range. Gay men made up around 1 in 10 of all new STI diagnoses in 2008 with young gay men aged 16-24 years accounting for around 1 in 5 of new gonorrhoea diagnoses.

Dr Maguire added: "These statistics suggest that young people are still being cavalier with their sexual health and we need to encourage safer sex, including condom use, to help reduce the spread of STIs. We also recommend that anyone with a new or casual sexual partner gets tested regularly at a GUM clinic or through the National Chlamydia Screening Programme."

-ENDS-

Notes to editors:

1. Data have been collected from genitourinary medicine (GUM) clinics (also called STI clinics) throughout London. The HPA collates a UK dataset annually with its collaborators in Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland.

2. Selected STI new diagnoses in London 2007 and 2008

All new STIs include the following infections: Chlamydial infection, gonorrhoea, syphilis, genital herpes, genital warts, new HIV diagnosis, non-specific genital infection, scabies, chancroid/ lymphogranuloma venerum (LGV)/Donovanosis, molluscum contagiosum, trichomoniasis and pediculus pubis.

3. New STI diagnoses in England in 2008 by Strategic Health Authority (SHA).

3. For further information on the Agency's latest sexual health figures please visit:
www.hpa.org.uk

Media enquiries
HPA London region press office:
Katherine Lewis, 020 7759 2824 / katherine.lewis@hpa.org.uk
Tycie West, 020 7759 2834 / tycie.west@hpa.org.uk

Last reviewed: 26 May 2010