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Overview
Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) are among the greatest infectious disease threats facing the United Kingdom today with over 700,000 STIs diagnosed at genitourinary medicine (GUM) clinics in the United Kingdom during 2003. Preventative methods are readily and freely available as well as being highly effective. Additionally most STIs can be completely cured if found early enough and may only require a course of antibiotics. However, if left untreated these infections can be painful and uncomfortable or at worst cause permanent damage to health and fertility.
In the South East STI rates have risen considerably between 2000 and 2004 with rates of chlamydia rising by nearly 40% during that time period. Although it may appear that syphilis is not a major problem in the South East, rates are on the rise and in England, diagnoses of syphilis have increased substantially since 1997, driven in part by outbreaks such as those in Manchester and London.
Chlamydia and gonorrhoea can lead to cases of Pelvic Inflammatory Disease (PID), an infection of the upper genital tract. If left untreated, PID can lead to infertility, tubal pregnancy, chronic pelvic pain, and other serious consequences. If syphilis is left untreated it can cause heart, liver and brain damage and some types of the genital wart virus are linked to changes in cervical cells which could lead to cervical cancer. There also exists a social cost to STIs, as they can cause emotional distress, stigma and discrimination for those affected and their partners.
It is estimated that at the end of 2003, there were 53,000 adults aged over 15 living with Human Immunodeficiency Virus ( HIV) in the UK, 27% of whom were unaware of their infection. Since the early 1980s, when the epidemic begun, about 15,750 deaths in HIV infected individuals are known to have occurred in the UK. Currently, the number of people living with diagnosed HIV is rising each year due to increased numbers of new diagnoses and decreasing deaths due to antiretroviral therapies. Although numbers of new diagnoses of HIV in the South East are not rising as fast as they are in England, they still are rising at a steady rate.
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Key Resources
The following is a collection of data, information and reports on sexually transmitted infections.
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Diagnoses and Rates of Selected STIs Seen at GUM Clinics, United Kingdom: 2000 – 2004. National, Regional and Strategic Health Authority Summary Tables
Data on diagnoses and rates in the five main STIs, plus total diagnoses and workload. View the Excel version or the PDF version.
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Diagnoses of selected STIs by region, sex and age group; United Kingdom: 1995 – 2004
Data on diagnoses and rates in the five main STIs, plus total diagnoses and workload. The data sheets include a national outline, and are then organised by STI. National and regional level data only. View the Excel version or the PDF version
This publication is the national public health bulletin for England and Wales. It is published every Thursday and contains information about HIV and STIs.
This White Paper sets out the key principles for supporting the public to make healthier and more informed choices in regards to various aspects of their health including sexual health.
The Strategy indicates the Department of Health’s long-term commitment to modernise and improve sexual health services.
A toolkit providing a range of tools for those working in sexual health promotion and HIV prevention. It can be adapted to comply with different work settings, client groups and service users.
Annual report from the Health Protection Agency
Information about the major STIs including the symptoms and how they can be treated.
A report about new HIV diagnoses in the South East Region based on Survey of Prevalent HIV Infections Diagnosed (SOPHID) data.
The report summarises current surveillance information on HIV and STIs, as well as some of the behaviours underlying transmission, and shows the distribution of the problem across different areas of the country.
This fact sheet covers a range of frequently asked questions about SOPHID data, covering data dissemination, survey results and confidentiality results.
This report presents the results of a survey on contraception and sexual health carried out by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) in 2004/05. Questions on contraceptive use and sexual health were asked of women aged 16–49 and men aged 16–69.
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