More cases of ancient sexually transmitted infections than ever before since records began

More people than ever before were diagnosed with gonorrhoea last year – with doctors warning that sexual health services are at a “crisis point” amid funding cuts and rising demand. There were more cases of the ancient sexually transmitted infection in England last year than at any time since records began over 100 years ago, according to the latest NHS data.

Infections with gonorrhea – mentioned in the Bible and early Greek and Roman writings – increased by 7.5%, from 79,268 diagnoses in 2022 to 85,223 in 2023. Case numbers rose over the past decade, then declined during lockdowns and isolation due to the pandemic, and then returned to record levels.

The number of gonorrhoea diagnoses is now three times higher than in 2012. At the same time, the infection rate – which measures the risk of contracting a disease – has risen from 50.3 infections per 100,000 people in 2012 to 149 per 100,000 last year. That equates to about one in 670 people in England being diagnosed with gonorrhoea.

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But in some parts of the country, particularly London, the risk is much higher. In Lambeth, there were 4,101 gonorrhoea diagnoses last year. Relative to the size of the population, that equates to 1,295 infections per 100,000 people – or about one in 77 people who contract gonorrhoea.

All 15 areas with the highest infection rates were in London. Lambeth was followed by Southwark (983 per 100,000), then Hackney (867 per 100,000). Outside the capital, the risk of contracting gonorrhoea was highest in Liverpool (302 infections per 100,000 inhabitants) and Brighton (292 per 100,000 inhabitants).

Use our interactive map to see the cases and incidence of gonorrhea in your area and learn how they have changed over the past decade.

This comes as the British Association for Sexual Health and HIV (BASHH) warns that sexual health services are facing growing demand for care, “against a difficult backdrop of funding cuts and staffing pressures”. The number of consultations carried out by sexual health services in England reached a record 4.61 million in 2023, a 5% increase on the previous year and a 44% increase since 2019, the earliest year for which records are available.

BASHH has now called on the “next government” to implement a national sexual health strategy to address the challenges and “deliver high-quality care that meets increasing and changing demand and ends health inequalities”. BASHH President Professor Matt Phillips said: “We are at a critical point where the viability of sexual health services must be secured.”

“The worrying trend in the number of new STI diagnoses is a sign that the need for sexual health care has increased, particularly among members of minority communities and those who prefer face-to-face care. This underscores the need for a long-awaited and much-needed sexual health strategy.

“From recruitment issues to public health funding to ensuring every clinic is supported by the right experts, the next government has the chance to turn the tide and remove these barriers to ensure everyone has timely access to expertise to support good sexual health and wellbeing.”

Gonorrhea can be traced back to Biblical times, and this sexually transmitted disease can be found in the earliest recorded history of mankind. The disease is probably mentioned several times in the Bible, particularly in the Old Testament book of Leviticus, which warns, “A man who has a discharge of semen is unclean.”

The Romans, Jews and Arabs all have documents relating to gonorrhea, and each society had its own description of symptoms and treatment. It is recorded that Pasiphae, wife of King Minos of Crete, used a goat’s bladder as a condom because the king’s semen was said to contain “scorpions and snakes” which killed his mistresses.

The name of the disease is almost as old as its descriptions. It is said to have been coined around 130 AD by the Roman physician Galen, who described gonorrhea as “the involuntary discharge of seminal fluid.” Symptoms of gonorrhea, formerly known as “the clap,” include thick green or yellow discharge from the vagina or penis, pain when urinating, and, in women, bleeding between periods.

Transmission usually occurs through unprotected sex or, in some cases, sharing sex toys, but it can also be passed from a pregnant woman to her baby. If left untreated, complications can include pelvic inflammatory disease, ectopic pregnancy and infertility in women, and swelling of the scrotum, urethral stricture – which can make urination painful and lead to infection – and infertility in men.

If left untreated, gonorrhea can lead to permanent blindness.