Sexually transmitted infections are surging across Europe, with gonorrhoea and syphilis hitting record levels. Official data from the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control shows that reported cases of gonorrhoea rose by 48% in 2023, while syphilis increased by 34%. The figures, collated from 27 EU member states plus the UK and EEA countries, reveal more than 400,000 gonorrhoea infections and 39,000 syphilis cases last year. This marks the highest annual count since surveillance began.
The UK is not immune. Public Health England reports a 22% rise in gonorrhoea diagnoses in England alone, with 82,000 cases in 2023. Syphilis cases climbed to 8,700, a 15% increase. Critics argue that cuts to sexual health services are to blame. Cuts in real terms to local authority public health budgets have left clinics understaffed and struggling with demand. One senior NHS source told me: "We are seeing patients waiting weeks for appointments. That's a public health failure."
The data demand an immediate review. The government's own sexual health strategy, published in 2021, promised a 10% reduction in STIs by 2025. We are moving in the opposite direction. Health charities warn that antibiotic-resistant strains of gonorrhoea are spreading. A strain known as XDR gonorrhoea, resistant to all frontline treatments, has been detected in the UK. If left unchecked, we could return to a pre-antibiotic era where a simple infection becomes untreatable.
The human cost is measured in lives. Untreated syphilis can cause blindness, dementia and death. Gonorrhoea can lead to infertility in women. Yet the government seems complacent. When I asked the Department of Health about the rising numbers, a spokesperson said: "We are investing more in sexual health services." But the numbers do not lie. Funding for sexual health services fell by 8% in real terms between 2015 and 2023. Local authorities, responsible for commissioning these services, have been squeezed by central government cuts.
This is not just a health crisis. It is a scandal of neglect. We know what works: better sex education, free condoms, outreach programmes for high-risk groups. We need a national campaign now. The government must reverse the funding cuts and launch an emergency response to contain these infections. Otherwise, the record numbers will only get worse.
