Spotlight on sexually transmitted infections in the East Midlands: 2024 data
Updated 22 April 2026
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Summary
While this report primarily focuses on the trend between 2023 and 2024, some trends relative to 2019 or earlier are included to provide a comparison to sexual health service provision and STI diagnoses prior to the COVID-19 pandemic during 2020 and 2021. For England, the numbers of consultations, sexual health screens and STI diagnoses in 2020 and 2021 are lower than preceding years and any trends during periods which include those years must be interpreted in that context.
Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) represent an important public health problem in the East Midlands. Of all the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA)’s regions it has the median rate of new STIs in England.
24,009 new STIs were diagnosed in East Midlands residents in 2024, a rate of 481 diagnoses per 100,000 population. Rates by upper tier local authority ranged from 288 new STI diagnoses per 100,000 population in Rutland to 987 new STI diagnoses per 100,000 population in Nottingham.
The number of new STIs diagnosed in East Midlands residents decreased by 13% between 2023 and 2024. Changes were seen in the numbers of the 5 major STIs: syphilis increased by 1%, gonorrhoea decreased by 30%, chlamydia decreased by 15%, genital herpes increased by 4% and genital warts decreased by 5%.
UKHSA recommends that local areas should be working towards achieving a chlamydia detection rate no lower than 3,250 per 100,000 among women aged 15 to 24 years and this is an indicator in the Public Health Outcomes Framework. In 2024, the chlamydia detection rate among East Midlands women aged 15 to 24 years was 1,775 per 100,000 residents.
Rates of new STIs vary somewhat between men and women (467 and 468 per 100,000 residents, respectively). Where gender and sexual orientation are known, gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men (GBMSM) account for 15% of East Midlands residents diagnosed with a new STI excluding chlamydia diagnoses reported via CTAD (68% of those diagnosed with syphilis and 40% of those diagnosed with gonorrhoea). STIs disproportionately affect young people. East Midlands residents aged between 15 and 24 years accounted for 49% of all new STI diagnoses in 2024. A steep decline has been seen in genital warts diagnosis rates in females aged 15 to 19 following the introduction in 2008 of vaccination against human papillomavirus (HPV), the virus which causes genital warts, for girls. Recent years have seen fluctuating rates though, with a 56% decrease in East Midlands from 2020 to 2024.
The White ethnic group has the highest number of new STI diagnoses: 16,151 (76.6%). Although 2.2% of new STIs are in the Black Caribbean ethnic group, they have the second highest rate: 1,515 per 100,000, which is 3.9 times the rate seen in the White ethnic group. Where country of birth was known, 83% of East Midlands residents diagnosed with a new STI in 2024 (excluding chlamydia diagnoses reported via CTAD) were UK-born. The rate of new STIs among people who lived in the most deprived areas (652 per 100,000) was 2.2 times higher than the rate for people who live in the least deprived areas (299 per 100,000).
Conclusion
Following the period of disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, sexual health service activity in the East Midlands has continued to adapt to change in needs, with face-to-face and online consultations rising steadily from 2020 to 2024. Testing rates have surpassed pre-pandemic levels, reflecting renewed engagement with services and the sustained availability of both in-person and remote testing options. Testing rates have risen to their highest recorded levels in 2024, and although positivity remains relatively stable, it continues to be slightly lower than the national average. Together, these findings emphasise the importance of maintaining accessible, high-quality sexual health services alongside focused prevention efforts to reduce inequalities and support better sexual health outcomes across the region.
STI trends in the East Midlands reveal differing trajectories across infections. With some infections increasing over time while others have begun to stabilise or decline.
Chlamydia continues to account for the largest share of new STI diagnoses in the region, with cases identified across specialist services, non-specialist services and CTAD testing.
While recent reductions in chlamydia and gonorrhoea diagnoses indicate a potential stabilisation in the overall STI burden, smaller increases in infections such as genital herpes and syphilis highlight the need for continued vigilance.
Testing positivity has also remained relatively stable over time.
Despite overall stability in regional trends, STIs continue to show marked geographic, demographic, and socioeconomic inequalities. Higher rates remain concentrated in major urban areas, more deprived communities, GBMSM, and specific ethnic groups, particularly Black African and Black Caribbean residents, and young people aged 15 to 24 years.
UKHSA’s main messages
Commissioners and providers of Sexual Health Services (SHSs) have an important role in communicating messages about safer sexual behaviours and how to access services. Main prevention messages include:
- using condoms consistently and correctly protects against HIV and other STIs such as chlamydia, gonorrhoea, and syphilis – condoms can also be used to prevent unplanned pregnancy
- regular screening for STIs and HIV is essential to maintain good sexual health – everyone should have an STI screen, including an HIV test, on at least an annual basis if having condomless sex with new or casual partners
- women, and people with a womb or ovaries, aged under 25 years who are sexually active should have a chlamydia test annually and on change of sexual partner
- gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men (GBMSM) should have tests for HIV and STIs annually or every 3 months if having condomless sex with new or casual partners
- Doxycycline post-exposure prophylaxis (doxyPEP) is recommended to people at risk of syphilis to reduce their risk of infection – doxyPEP is available at specialist SHSs
- HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is available for free from specialist SHSs and can be used to reduce an individual’s risk of acquiring HIV
- HIV post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) can be used to reduce the risk of acquiring HIV following some sexual exposures – PEP is available for free from most specialist SHSs and most emergency departments
- people living with diagnosed HIV who are on treatment and have an undetectable viral load are unable to pass on the infection to others during sex – this is known as ‘Undetectable=Untransmittable’ or ‘U=U’
- vaccination against human papillomavirus (HPV), hepatitis A and hepatitis B will protect against disease caused by these viruses and prevent the spread of these infections
- GBMSM can obtain the hepatitis A and hepatitis B vaccines from specialist SHSs – these vaccines are also available for other people at high risk of exposure to the viruses
- GBMSM aged up to and including 45 years can obtain the HPV vaccine from specialist SHSs
- GBMSM who have a recent history of multiple sexual partners or an STI and other high risk groups are eligible for a meningococcal B disease vaccine (4CMenB) which can protect against gonorrhoea and help tackle the increasing levels of antibiotic resistant strains of the disease
- Mpox vaccination is available for those at increased risk, including GBMSM who have a recent history of multiple sexual partners
- Local areas may wish to adopt the STI Prioritisation Framework as it provides a structured, evidence‑informed approach to understanding and responding to local sexual health needs. It supports decision‑making and helps ensure resources are targeted where they will have the most impact.
- specialist SHSs are free and confidential and offer testing and treatment for HIV and STIs, condoms, vaccination, HIV PrEP and PEP
- clinic-based services are commissioned for residents of all areas in England
- online self-sampling for HIV and STIs is widely available
- see information and advice about sexual health including how to access services from NHS.UK and from the national sexual health helpline on 0300 123 7123
Charts, tables, and maps
Figure 1. New STI diagnosis rates by UKHSA region of residence, England, 2024
Data sources: GUMCAD, CTAD
Description of Figure 1
24,009 new STIs were diagnosed in East Midlands residents in 2024, representing a rate of 481 diagnoses per 100,000 population. Compared to the other regions, the East Midlands region had the median rate of new STI diagnoses in England.
Figure 2. Number of diagnoses of the 5 main STIs, East Midlands residents, 2020 to 2024
Data sources: GUMCAD, CTAD
Notes for Figure 2
Note 1. It is important to consider whether there have been any changes to testing or vaccination practices when interpreting increases or decreases in STIs:
Any increase in gonorrhoea diagnoses may be due to the increased use of highly sensitive nucleic acid amplification tests (NAATs) and additional screening of extra-genital sites in GBMSM.
Any decrease in genital wart diagnoses may be due to a moderately protective effect of HPV-16/18 vaccination.
Any increase in genital herpes diagnoses may be due to the use of more sensitive NAATs.
Increases or decreases may also reflect changes in testing practices.
Description of Figure 2
Between 2020 and 2024, chlamydia accounted for the highest number of new diagnoses followed by gonorrhoea, although the number of diagnoses for both infections increased between 2021 and 2023 they showed a decline more recently in 2024. Syphilis and genital herpes have both shown a steady increase in numbers from 2020 to 2024, levelling off in 2023 and 2024. Genital warts had an increase in diagnoses between 2020 and 2021, however, since 2021, has fallen gradually falling below the 2020 figure.
Table 1: Percentage change in new STI diagnoses, East Midlands residents
Data sources: GUMCAD, CTAD
| Diagnoses | 2024 | Percentage change 2020 to 2024 | Percentage change 2023 to 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chlamydia | 13,394 | 10% | -15% |
| Genital Herpes | 2,150 | 43% | 4% |
| Genital Warts | 1,734 | -5% | -5% |
| Gonorrhoea | 3,554 | 40% | -30% |
| Syphilis | 375 | 60% | 1% |
| Other | 2,802 | 50% | 8% |
| All new STIs | 24,009 | 19% | -13% |
Notes for Table 1
See notes for Figure 2. See New STIs section for a list of diagnoses that are included in the other STIs.
Between 2020 and 2024, diagnosis for genital warts decreased while the number of diagnoses for all other infections increased. Conversely between 2023 and 2024, the STI diagnosis in the East Midlands fell by 13% driven mainly by sharp declines in chlamydia and gonorrhoea, and while genital herpes, syphilis, and other STIs saw only small increases and genital warts remained stable.
Figure 3. Rates of new STIs per 100,000 East Midlands residents by age group (for those aged 15 to 64 years only) and gender, 2024
Data sources: GUMCAD, CTAD
Description of Figure 3
The rate of new STIs per 100,000 is highest in individuals aged 20 to 24 years. In those aged 25 years and under, the rate is higher among females but in those aged 25 and over, males have a higher rate of new infections.
Figure 4. Rates of gonorrhoea per 100,000 East Midlands residents by age group [note 1] (for those aged 15 to 64 years only), 2020 to 2024
Data sources: GUMCAD
Notes for Figure 4
Note 1. Age-specific rates are shown for those aged 15 to 64 years only.
Description of Figure 4
Gonorrhoea rates increased across all age groups from 2021 to a peak in 2023. With individuals aged 20 to 24 years have the highest rate of gonorrhoea during the whole timeframe, in 2024 rates declined in every age group, though they remained higher than in 2020 to 2021 for most groups.
Figure 5. Rates of genital warts per 100,000 East Midlands residents aged 15 to 19 years by gender, 2020 to 2024
Data sources: GUMCAD
Description of Figure 5
Rates of genital warts showed differing patterns for males and females between 2020 and 2024, however, both rates did show an overall decline. For males the rate steadily declined from 2020 to 2023, but showed an uptick in 2024. For females the pattern was not as simple, with a sharp decrease in 2021 going below the rate for males, then increasing in 2022 above the rate for males and remaining there in 2023. This was then followed by a sharp decrease in 2024 putting both the male and female rates back at a similar level.
Figure 6. Rates of new STIs per 100,000 East Midlands residents by ethnic group, 2024
Data sources: GUMCAD, CTAD
Description of Figure 6
The rate of diagnoses of new STIs is significantly higher for black African and black Caribbean individuals than any other ethnic groups, with the black African ethnic group having the highest rate of infection overall in the East Midlands.
Table 2: Percentage of new STI diagnoses among East Midlands residents by ethnic group, 2024
Data sources: GUMCAD, CTAD
| Ethnic group | Number | Percentage (excluding unknown) |
|---|---|---|
| All other ethnic groups combined | 2,961 | 14.0% |
| Black African | 1,508 | 7.2% |
| Black Caribbean | 467 | 2.2% |
| White | 16,151 | 76.6% |
| unknown | 2,922 | - |
The numbers of diagnoses by ethnic group in Table 2 show a different picture to the rates seen in Figure 6. The highest number of new STI diagnoses occurred among white residents, who account for 76.6% where ethnicity was known, with the black African ethnicity only accounting for 7.2% (1,508) of diagnoses. A substantial number of diagnoses (2,922) had unknown ethnicity recorded.
Figure 7. Percentage of East Midlands residents diagnosed with a new STI by world region of birth [note 1], 2024
Data sources: GUMCAD data only
Notes for Figure 7
Note 1. Data on country of birth is not collected by CTAD. All information about world region of birth is based on diagnoses made in specialist and non-specialist services which report to GUMCAD.
Description of Figure 7
The majority of East Midlands residents diagnosed with new STIs were born in the UK accounting for 83%, followed by those born in Sub-Saharan Africa and the EU who both accounted for 6% of diagnoses.
Figure 8. Rates of new STIs per 100,000 East Midlands residents by decile of deprivation [note 1], 2024
Data sources: GUMCAD, CTAD
Notes for Figure 8
Note 1: Deciles run from 1 to 10 in order of decreasing deprivation, with 1 being the decile for the most deprived area.
Description of Figure 8
Overall there is a declining gradient in 2024 STI rates across deprivation levels, with residents in the most deprived areas experiencing the highest rates and rates steadily decreasing across each decile. By contrast, those in the least deprived areas have much lower rates, dropping to around 300 in tenth decile.
Figure 9. Diagnoses of the 5 main STIs among GBMSM [note 1], East Midlands residents, 2020 to 2024
Data sources: GUMCAD data only
Notes for Figure 9
Note 1: Data on sexual orientation is not collected by CTAD. All information about GBMSM is based on diagnoses made in specialist and non-specialist services which report to GUMCAD and exclude chlamydia diagnoses via online services.
It is important to consider whether there have been any changes to testing or vaccination practices when interpreting increases or decreases in STIs: Increases in gonorrhoea may be due to the increased use of highly sensitive nucleic acid amplification tests (NAATs) and additional screening of extra-genital sites in GBMSM. Decreases in genital wart diagnoses may be due to the moderately protective effect of HPV-16/18 vaccination. Increases in genital herpes diagnoses may be due to the use of more sensitive NAATs.
Description of Figure 9
Among GBMSM diagnosed in specialist and non-specialist sexual health services between 2020 and 2024 the highest number of diagnoses were for gonorrhoea followed by chlamydia. Chlamydia and gonorrhoea diagnoses rose sharply from 2020, peaked in 2023 and declined slightly in 2024. Genital herpes, genital warts, and syphilis remained comparatively low and showed only modest fluctuation. Overall, there has been an increase in STIs up to 2023, with small reduction in 2024 across services reporting to GUMCAD.
Table 3: Percentage change in new STI diagnoses in GBMSM [note 1] residents in the East Midlands
Data sources: GUMCAD data only
| Diagnoses | 2023 | 2024 | Percentage change 2023 to 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chlamydia | 753 | 615 | -18% |
| Genital Herpes | 69 | 93 | 35% |
| Genital Warts | 109 | 107 | -2% |
| Gonorrhoea | 1,489 | 1,324 | -11% |
| Syphilis | 227 | 237 | 4% |
| Other | 244 | 284 | 16% |
| All new STIs | 2,891 | 2,660 | -8% |
Notes for Table 3
Note 1. See notes for Figure 9. See New STIs section for a list of diagnoses that are included in the other STIs.
Description of Table 3
Between 2023 and 2024, new STI diagnoses among GBMSM fell overall by 8%, driven mainly by decreases in gonorrhoea (-11%) and chlamydia (-18%). In contrast, diagnoses of genital herpes, syphilis and other STIs increased, while genital warts remained relatively stable.
Figure 10. Rate of new STI diagnoses per 100,000 East Midlands residents by upper tier local authority of residence, 2024
Data sources: GUMCAD, CTAD
Description of Figure 10
There was a wide variation in new STI rates across East Midlands local authorities in 2024 (288 to 987 per 100,000). The highest rates were seen in the city local authorities, Nottingham, Derby and Leicester, with Nottingham recording the highest rate significantly above all the other local authorities’ rates, the regional rate and the national rate. Derby and Leicester were significantly above the regional rate and similar to the England rate. The rest of the local authorities have more ruralised areas along with some urbanised parts within their geographies and this pushes down the rates of STIs in comparison.
Figure 11. Rate of new STI diagnoses (excluding chlamydia diagnoses in residents aged under 25 years [note 1]) per 100,000 East Midlands residents by upper tier local authority of residence, 2024
Data sources: GUMCAD, CTAD
Notes for Figure 11
Note 1: Chlamydia diagnoses in the target group of the National Chlamydia Screening Programme NCSP (those aged 15 to 24 years) are excluded because these diagnoses could reflect how NCSP is implemented locally rather than actual prevalence.
Description of Figure 11
After excluding chlamydia diagnoses in the residents under 25, the UTLAs with the highest rates of new STI diagnoses continue to be Nottingham, Derby, and Leicester, and the lowest rates remain to be in Leicestershire, North Northamptonshire and Rutland.
Figure 12. Chlamydia detection rate per 100,000 female East Midlands residents aged 15 to 24 years by upper tier local authority of residence, 2024
Data sources: GUMCAD, CTAD
Description of Figure 12
Chlamydia detection rates among 15 to 24 year old females vary across the East Midlands UTLAs, With Lincolnshire having the highest rate – well above the regional and national averages, and significantly greater than the second highest rate which was for Nottingham; while Rutland continues to have the lowest rate by a substantial margin.
Figure 13. Rate of gonorrhoea diagnoses per 100,000 East Midlands residents by upper tier local authority of residence, 2024
Data sources: GUMCAD
Description of Figure 13
Nottingham had the highest rate, significantly above both regional and national averages, while all other UTLAs have substantially lower rates, with all below the national rate and many below the region-wide level.
Figure 14. Map of new STI rates per 100,000 East Midlands residents by upper tier local authority, 2024
Data sources: GUMCAD, CTAD
Description of Figure 14
The map shows that Derby, Nottingham, Leicester and Lincolnshire stand out as having the highest rates of new STI diagnoses in the East Midlands.
Figure 15. Map of new STI rates per 100,000 East Midlands residents by middle super output area (MSOA21), 2024
Data sources: GUMCAD, CTAD
Description of Figure 15
The map shows most MSOAs in the East Midlands had relatively low new STI rates, with majority falling below the 500 diagnoses per 100,000 residents. Only a small number of isolated areas displayed higher rates, indicative of localised hotspots rather than widespread across the region.
Figure 16. STI testing rate (excluding chlamydia in under 25 year olds [note 1]) per 100,000 East Midlands residents, 2012 to 2024
Data sources: GUMCAD, CTAD
Notes for Figure 16
Note 1: Chlamydia diagnoses in the target group of the National Chlamydia Screening Programme NCSP (those aged 15 to 24 years) are excluded because these diagnoses could reflect how NCSP is implemented locally rather than actual prevalence.
Description of Figure 16
STI testing rates have risen steadily in both East Midlands and England since 2012, with England consistently testing at a higher rate throughout the period. Testing dipped sharply in 2020, likely reflecting service disruption during the COVID-19 pandemic, before increasing again and reaching their highest levels in 2023.
Figure 17. STI testing positivity rate (excluding chlamydia in under 25 year olds [note 1]) in East Midlands residents, 2012 to 2024
Data sources: GUMCAD, CTAD
Notes for Figure 17
Note 1: Chlamydia diagnoses in the target group of the National Chlamydia Screening Programme NCSP (those aged 15 to 24 years) are excluded because these diagnoses could reflect how NCSP is implemented locally rather than actual prevalence.
Description of Figure 17
STI testing positivity rate has gradually increased in both the East Midlands and England since 2012, with England consistently recording slightly higher positivity throughout the period. Positivity dipped in 2020 but rose again afterwards reaching 6.4% in England and 5.2% in the East Midlands in 2024, slightly lower than the national rate.
Table 4: Number of diagnoses of new STIs by UKHSA region of residence, data source and data subset 2024
Data sources: GUMCAD, CTAD
| UKHSA region of residence | GUMCAD specialist SHSs |
GUMCAD non-specialist SHSs [note 1] |
CTAD [note 2] | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| East Midlands | 13,865 | 5,900 | 4,244 | 24,009 |
| East of England | 17,674 | 2,317 | 6,551 | 26,542 |
| London | 87,381 | 11,044 | 23,995 | 122,420 |
| North East | 10,121 | 1,722 | 3,004 | 14,847 |
| North West | 33,672 | 4,248 | 9,175 | 47,095 |
| South East | 29,777 | 2,455 | 8,472 | 40,704 |
| South West | 17,434 | 2,856 | 4,797 | 25,087 |
| West Midlands | 19,125 | 4,566 | 3,618 | 27,309 |
| Yorkshire and Humber | 20,263 | 1,671 | 6,339 | 28,273 |
| UK (not England or Wales) | - | - | 3 | 3 |
Notes for Table 4
Note 1. Diagnoses from enhanced GPs reporting to GUMCAD are included in the ‘Non-specialist sexual health services (SHSs)’ total.
Note 2. Including site type 12 chlamydia from GUMCAD.
Description of Table 4
London accounts for the highest volume of diagnoses, with North East having the Lowest number of new STIs diagnoses; the East Midlands which had the second lowest number of new STI diagnoses overall. Across all regions, most diagnoses came from specialist SHSs, with the East Midlands having the second lowest number of new STI diagnoses made in this setting, however had the second highest number of diagnoses made within non-specialist SHSs, a higher proportion of diagnoses being made outside of specialist SHS compared to other regions.
Table 5: Number of diagnoses of the 5 main STIs in the East Midlands by STI, data source and data subset 2024
Data sources: GUMCAD, CTAD
| 5 main STIs | GUMCAD specialist SHSs |
GUMCAD non-specialist SHSs [note 1] |
CTAD [note 2] | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chlamydia | 4,823 | 4,327 | 4,244 | 13,394 |
| Genital Herpes | 2,067 | 83 | - | 2,150 |
| Genital Warts | 1,645 | 89 | - | 1,734 |
| Gonorrhoea | 2,275 | 1,279 | - | 3,554 |
| Syphilis | 371 | 4 | - | 375 |
Notes for Table 5
Note 1. Diagnoses from enhanced GPs reporting to GUMCAD are included in the ‘Non-specialist sexual health services (SHSs)’ total.
Note 2. Including site type 12 chlamydia from GUMCAD.
Description of Table 5
In the East Midlands the highest number of new STI diagnoses were chlamydia diagnoses, with similar contributions from both specialist and non-specialist services as well as CTAD testing. Gonorrhoea diagnoses were mostly made within specialist SHSs with approximately half as many diagnoses being made in non-specialist SHSs. For genital herpes, genital warts, and syphilis most diagnoses came from specialist SHSs with small contributions from non-specialist SHSs and none reported through CTAD.
Figure 18. Consultations by service medium: East Midlands residents, 2020 to 2024
Data sources: GUMCAD
Description of Figure 18
There was a steady rise in both Face-to-face consultations and online consultations between 2020 and 2024, with face-to-face remaining the most common method throughout. Telephone consultations were used far less frequently and declined after 2021. Online consultations rose between 2020 and 2022, after which numbers remained at a similar level.
Information on data sources
Find more information on local sexual health data sources in the UKHSA guide.
The gender and age group chart is restricted to those aged 15 to 64 years as information about STIs in those aged under 15 years is considered highly sensitive. Analyses specific to this group are not provided in routine outputs. Rates for those aged 65 or older are withheld to ensure that no deductive disclosure is possible for the under 15 years age group. The proportion of STIs in those aged under 15 years or older than 64 years is very low.
GUMCAD surveillance system
This disaggregate reporting system collects information about attendances and diagnoses at specialist (Level 3) and non-specialist (Level 2) sexual health services. Information about the patient’s area of residence is collected along with demographic data and other variables. GUMCAD superseded the earlier KC60 system and can provide data from 2009 onwards. GUMCAD is the main source of data for this report.
Due to limits on how much personally identifiable information sexual health clinics are able to share, it is not possible to deduplicate between different clinics. There is a possibility that some patients may be counted more than once if they are diagnosed with the same infection (for infection specific analyses) or a new STI of any type (for new STI analyses) at different clinics during the same calendar year.
CTAD surveillance system
CTAD collects data on all NHS and local authority or NHS-commissioned chlamydia testing carried out in England. CTAD is comprised of all chlamydia (NAATs) tests for all ages (with the exception of conjunctival samples), from all venues and for all reasons. CTAD enables unified, comprehensive reporting of all chlamydia data, to effectively monitor the impact of the NCSP through estimation of the coverage of population screening, proportion of all tests that are positive and detection rates.
For services which report to GUMCAD and for which CTAD does not receive data on the patient’s area of residence (for example, SHSs), information about chlamydia diagnoses is sourced from GUMCAD data.
CTAD does not collect information about sexual orientation or country of birth. Reports from CTAD are excluded from figures in this report which relate to analyses by sexual orientation or world region of birth.
New STIs
New STI diagnoses comprise diagnoses of the following: chancroid, LGV, donovanosis, chlamydia, gonorrhoea, genital herpes (first episode), HIV (acute and AIDS defining), Molluscum contagiosum, non-specific genital infection (NSGI), non-specific pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) and epididymitis, chlamydial PID and epididymitis (presented in chlamydia total), gonococcal PID and epididymitis (presented in gonorrhoea total), scabies, pediculosis pubis, syphilis (primary, secondary and early latent), trichomoniasis and genital warts (first episode), Mycoplasma genitalium, shigella.
Calculations
Confidence Intervals were calculated using Byar’s method for numerators greater than or equal to 10. For small numerators Byar’s method is less accurate and so an exact method based on the Poisson distribution is used.
ONS mid-year population estimates for 2023 were used as a denominator for rates (other than by ethnic group) for 2024. ONS estimates of population by ethnic group for the year 2019 were used as a denominator for rates by ethnic group for 2024. This is the first time that new estimates of population by ethnic group have been available since 2011. This must be considered if comparing rates for 2024 in this report with rates by 2023 in last year’s report, as the rates in the last report used the 2011 estimates.
Further information
As of 2020, all analyses for this report include data from non-specialist (Level 2) SHSs and enhanced GP services as well as specialist (Level 3) SHSs.
For further information, access the online Sexual and Reproductive Health Profiles.
For more information on HIV data, see the separate HIV Spotlight report.
For more information on local sexual health data sources, see the UKHSA guide.
Local authorities have access to The Summary Profile of Local Authority Sexual Health (SPLASH) Reports (accessible from the Sexual and Reproductive Health Profiles) and the SPLASH supplement reports via the HIV and STI Data exchange.
About the Field Services
The Field Services was established in 2018 as a national service comprising geographically dispersed multi-disciplinary teams integrating expertise in Field Epidemiology, Real-time Syndromic Surveillance and Public Health Microbiology to strengthen the surveillance, intelligence and response functions of UKHSA.
You can contact your local FS team at FSMidlands@ukhsa.gov.uk.
Acknowledgements
We would like to thank the following:
- local SHSs for supplying the SHS data
- local laboratories for supplying the CTAD data
- UKHSA Blood Safety, Hepatitis, Sexually Transmitted Infections (STI) and HIV Division for collection, analysis and distribution of data