Updated 31/07/2006
Government Information Campaign - The Sex Lottery
Information about various STIs available here: http://www.playingsafely.co.uk
Cases of syphilis increase by 23 per cent 2004 to 2005
Source: The Times Date: 05/07/2006
It is reported that figures released yesterday showed an overall rise of 3 per cent in sexually transmitted diseases between 2004 and 2005. However, this is lower than in the two previous years. The complete figures show that chlamydia infections increased by 5 per cent, syphilis by 23 per cent, genital warts by 1 per cent and genital herpes by 4 per cent, while cases of gonorrhoea decreased by 13 per cent. The figures for syphilis, which relate only to cases treated at genitourinary medicine (GUM) clinics, show that while the number of cases remains relatively low - 2,807 last year compared with 2,278 the previous year - they represent a 1,159 per cent increase since 2000, and a 2,084 per cent increase over the past 10 years. Sexual infection disorders have been almost continually rising since the 1990s and yesterday's figures show the highest increase for both sexes is in the 16-24 age group. The figures came ahead of a
report by the Men's Health Forum, calling on the Government to target young men in the chlamydia screening programme. At present only 17 per cent of those screened are men, although the incidence of the disease is as high among women. Peter Borriello, director of the Health Protection Agency's Centre for Infections, said that too many people treated such infections as trivial, warning that 'human papilloma virus can give you cancer, chlamydia can make you sterile, and syphilis can cause brain disease'.
Locally we understand that the increase in the Birmingham to Burton area is much greater than this.
The 1996 - 20001 rates for some sexually transmitted infections
Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) include venereal disease (VD) and other
diseases transmitted by sexual activity. In the last 5 years, there has been a
major increase locally as well as nationally causing a lot of pressure in
genitourinary medicine clinics (GUM clinics, previously special clinics).
The numbers of some STIs for 1996, 2001 and percentage change over the 5
years are as follows:
The telephone number for the GUM clinic in Tamworth is 01827
263810.
Foreign travel can increase risk of sex infections, says study
Source: The Guardian Date: 23/07/2004
The Guardian's health editor, Sarah Boseley, reports on a study by Karen Rogstad, a consultant in the department of genito-urinary medicine at the Royal Hallamshire hospital in Sheffield, which has found an 'alarming increase' in the number of sexually-transmitted infections in the UK - many of which occurred when patients were abroad. A large proportion of new HIV cases were from UK-born citizens who had contracted the virus on holiday. It is said that young people should be encouraged to go for a sexual health check when they returned from foreign travel. The study appeared as a paper in the British Medical Journal.
The Minster Practice, Lichfield
