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Young women in region most at risk from STIs

24 August 2010

A report released today (25 August 2010) by the Health Protection Agency (HPA) has shown that 15 to 24 year olds, particularly young women, continue to be the group most affected by sexually transmitted infections (STIs) in the UK.


In 2009, a total of 42,410 new STI diagnoses were reported to the HPA from sexual health clinics across the Yorkshire and Humber region and from community based chlamydia testing. Whilst this is a 2% decrease on the 43,154 cases recorded last year, health professionals are warning that figures are still too high and that some groups are at more risk than others.

Last year around two thirds of the UK's new STI diagnoses seen in women were in those under 25. In 2009 in Yorkshire and the Humber, 76% (397/ 521) of all new gonorrhoea diagnoses and 72% (2,709/ 3,779) of all new genital warts were in young women under the age of 25. Of all new chlamydia diagnoses within the region, 91% (12,159/ 13,302) were in women under 25 - this is in part due to more sensitive tests and community based testing targeting the under 25's in England.

In men in Yorkshire and the Humber, over half of new STI diagnoses were in those aged under 25. They accounted for 48% (398/ 822) of new gonorrhoea diagnoses, 52% (2,242/ 4,272) of genital warts, and 75% (6,556/ 8,739) of new chlamydia diagnoses. High rates of STI diagnoses have also been found among men who have sex with men.

Nationally, the peak age for an STI in women is between 19 and 20 years and in men, between 20 and 23 years. Of all the 15-24 year olds diagnosed with an STI last year around one in ten of these will become re-infected within a year. 

Dr Leena Inamdar, Consultant in Communicable Disease Control and Lead for Sexual Health at HPA Yorkshire and the Humber, said: "These latest regional figures show that, in common with the rest of the UK, poor sexual health is a serious problem, both in young adults and men who have sex with men in Yorkshire and the Humber.

"These figures also highlight the vulnerability of young women. Many studies have shown that the UK's young adults are more likely to have unsafe sex and often they lack the skills and confidence to negotiate safer sex.

"Re-infection is also a worrying issue - the numbers we're seeing in teenagers are of particular concern as this suggests teenagers are repeatedly putting their own, as well as others, long term health at risk from STIs."

In Yorkshire and the Humber, the latest figures for the total number of STI diagnoses in genitourinary medicine clinics and community settings show that overall:

  • Chlamydia increased by 3%, from 21,921 cases in 2008 to 22,498 cases in 2009 (nationally cases increased by 7%) 
  • Gonorrhoea increased by 9%, from 1,289 cases in 2008 to 1,400 cases in 2009 (nationally cases increased by 6%)
  • Syphilis increased by 8%, from 213 cases in 2008 to 231 cases in 2009 (nationally cases stabilised, decreasing by just 1%) 
  • Genital herpes decreased by 6%, from 2,706 cases in 2008 to 2,534 cases in 2009 (nationally cases increased by 5%) 
  • Genital warts decreased by 7%, from 8,625 cases in 2008 to 8,051 cases in 2009 (nationally cases stabilised, decreasing by just 0.3%) 

Dr Inamdar continued: "We are doing more testing, such as through the National Chlamydia Screening Programme, and some of the tests we are using for some infections are more sensitive. Whilst it's good news that we are seeing cases of genital herpes and warts decrease, the increase in cases of gonorrhoea and syphilis is concerning, particularly when cases of syphilis are beginning to stabilise nationally.

"We know that the rise in STIs is also due in part to unsafe sexual behaviour. The safest way to protect yourself against an STI is to use a condom with new partners. Sexually active under 25 year olds should be tested for chlamydia every year or when they change their partner."

For the first time the HPA can provide new STI infection figures by local area of residence in Yorkshire and the Humber, rather than by clinic attended. This will help Primary Care Trusts and other local health services to achieve a greater understanding of the sexual health profile of their population which will help them develop local initiatives to target specific groups at high risk of infection.

Nationally, new diagnoses of gonorrhoea had been decreasing in recent years with an 11% drop between 2007 and 2008, however this infection is again on the increase with 17,385 new cases reported last year. The use of new, more sensitive tests is partly responsible for the increase. Treatment of gonorrhoea is of concern as new figures suggest an emergence of potential resistance to drugs used to treat the infection.

Professor Cathy Ison, a gonorrhoea expert at HPA's Centre for Infections, and author of the annual GRASP (Gonococcal Resistance to Antimicrobials Surveillance Programme) report 2009, said: "At the moment the drugs we use in the UK are still effective for treating gonorrhoea. But our lab tests are showing that the bacteria are becoming less sensitive to these drugs and the worry is that we could see gonorrhoea become a very difficult infection to treat within the next five years, as elsewhere in the world.

"Potentially this means that in the case of gonorrhoea, practicing safe sex may eventually be the only way of controlling the infection if new antibiotic treatments cannot be found."

Dr Stephen Morton, Regional Director for HPA Yorkshire and the Humber, said: "These are all preventable infections and it is a cause of considerable concern that we are still seeing increases across Yorkshire and the Humber, especially the sharp regional rise in gonorrhoea cases we have seen, as we know drug resistance is emerging.

"These annual HPA reports play a crucial role in enhancing current strategies to control and ultimately prevent STI's, and we must now work with our partners, both within and outside the NHS, so that they can continue to use these figures to target information and health services to the people who are becoming more affected within our region."

Ends

Notes to Editors

For further information on the HPA's latest sexual health figures, go to:
http://www.hpa.org.uk/web/HPAweb&HPAwebStandard/HPAweb_C/1203348026613

 

Issued by Charlotte Farrar
Charlotte.farrar@hpa.org.uk
0113 284 0618
07810 684 104

 

Last reviewed: 7 December 2010