STI rates remain at concerning level despite 2020 fall

pharmafile | September 8, 2021 | News story | Research and Development  

New data from Public Health England (PHE) reveal that despite diagnoses of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) decreasing in 2020 by 32% compared to 2019, STI diagnoses overall remain high.

The decline reflects a combination of reduced STI testing as a result of disruption to sexual health services, leading to fewer diagnoses, and changes in behaviour during the COVID-19 pandemic which may have reduced STI transmission.

In 2020, sexual health services continued to diagnose hundreds of thousands of STIs after scaling up testing accessed using telephone and internet consultations, as well as continuing face to face appointments for urgent or complex cases.

However, compared to 2019, consultations at sexual health services in 2020 decreased by 10%.  The biggest drop occurred in face to face consultations which fell by 35% since 2019, but internet consultations doubled over the same time period.

Although people could still access STI testing, there was a 25% fall in sexual health screens (tests for chlamydia, gonorrhoea, syphilis, or HIV) and the change in service delivery impacted the diagnoses of STIs in different ways.

For example, STIs that require a clinical in-person assessment, such as genital warts and herpes saw a greater drop in diagnoses (46% and 40% falls, respectively), compared to STIs that could be diagnosed using self-sampling kits following an internet consultation, such as chlamydia and gonorrhoea (29% fall and 20% fall, respectively).

Dr Katy Sinka, Head of Sexually Transmitted Infections section at Public Health England, said: “No one wants to swap social distancing for an STI, and as we enjoy the fact that national COVID-19 restrictions have lifted, it’s important that we continue to look after our sexual health and wellbeing.

“If you are having sex with new or casual partners, use a condom and get tested – STIs can pose serious consequences to your own health and that of your current or future sexual partners.”

Although people could still access STI testing, there was a 25% fall in sexual health screens (tests for chlamydia, gonorrhoea, syphilis, or HIV) and the change in service delivery impacted the diagnoses of STIs in different ways.

Lilly Subbotin

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