It’s that time of the year where sexual health and stats geeks unite and get a picture of what is going on in our communities.

TLDR Version

Rates of Sexually Transmitted Infections are continuing to rise across England. Rates of gonorrhoea and syphilis have continued to grow and there are still as many chlamydia cases as last year nationally but still rising in LGBTQ+ communities. Condoms and lube are your best protection from STIs and if you live in Greater Manchester, you can order them to your door through BHA and LGBT Foundation. You should also test for STIs regularly – book a test with us here and remember to talk to your partners openly about STIs, HIV and testing.

Want to know more? Let’s look at some of the impact.

LGBTQ+ People – particularly Gay, Bi, and other men who have sex with men (GBMSM) along with people from ethnic minorities and young people continue to be most impacted. Gonorrhoea diagnoses between 2022 and 2023 rose 7.5% with 85,223 cases in 2023 – 5,995 more than 2022. Syphilis cases are up 9.4% in the same period. Both are treatable with antibiotics and especially with syphilis the earlier you treat it the easier it is. Chlamydia is up 8.2% from last year too amongst GBMSM. Other STIs like genital warts and genital herpes are also increasing.

What can I do?

Talking - about testing and STIs with your partners is a big help. It shouldn’t be stigmatising to be treated for an STI or to test regularly.

Condoms and Lube – Better, wetter, safer sex starts with condoms and lube – PrEP disrupts the transmission of HIV but not other STIs. You can get condoms and lube from us thebha.org.uk/condoms & lgbt.foundation/condoms

Test – If you have multiple or different partners you should test for STIs around once every 3 months as well as if you have symptoms of an STI. If you have only one partner still test once a year or if you have STI symptoms. Book a test with us lgbt.foundation/testing & thebha.org.uk/hivtesting

What still needs to be done?

It’s important for sexual health services to be well funded, and for sexual health projects and services that serve our communities to be fully backed. We will work to ensure that relevant bodies are committed to this aim, so that all who need sexual health services can access the inclusive and culturally competent care they need.