Fewer STIs diagnosed in Blackpool last year - but town still soars about North West average

New figures from Public Health England figures show 1,543 people in the resort were diagnosed with an STI in 2019, down by 1 per cent from 1,562 the previous year.

However, the area still has a high infection rate of 1,107 STIs per 100,000 people, which is well above the North West's average rate of 739 per 100,000.

Experts are calling for improved access to sexual health services amid an overall rise in STI diagnoses, warning testing should be scaled up as people start to have sex again following the coronavirus lockdown.

Dr Hamish Mohammed, national lead for sexually transmitted infection surveillance at PHE, said: “The considerable rise of gonorrhoea cases in England as well as the continued rise of other STIs is concerning.

“It is important to emphasise that STIs can pose serious consequences to health.

“We expect to see further cases of antibiotic resistant gonorrhoea in the future, which will be challenging for healthcare professionals to manage.”

There were 225 new cases of gonorrhoea in Blackpool last year, down from 227. But cases of syphilis increased from 35 to 67.

Across England, the number of gonorrhoea cases diagnosed in 2019 reached its highest level since records began more than a century ago, with a total of 70,936 cases reported – up by 26 per cent from 2018.

Overall STI cases in England rose to 468,342 last year, up by 5 per cent on 2018.

The national figure includes 9,200 people who accessed services in England but lived elsewhere in the UK or abroad.

PHE said the rise was likely to be due to people not using condoms correctly and consistently with new and casual partners, and an increase in testing helping improve detection of the most common infections.

Chlamydia was the most commonly diagnosed infection last year, with 229,411 – nearly half – of all new STI diagnoses in 2019.

Among young people aged 15 to 24, the number of chlamydia tests carried out rose 2 per cent compared with 2018.

Dr John McSorley, president of the British Association for Sexual Health and HIV, said the year-on-year rise in STI diagnoses is "hugely concerning".

"This year we have seen how crucial investment in public health services is to support the wellbeing of populations more widely, and we must consider how we can continue to improve access to services for all those who need them and those at the highest risk," he said.

PHE said it is analysing the data to understand the impact of the Covid-19 response on HIV and STI services and the effect of social distancing measures on the spread of STIs.

Ian Green, chief executive of sexual health charity the Terrence Higgins Trust, said: "Rates of sexually transmitted infections like gonorrhoea and syphilis are rising significantly while sexual health services are over-burdened and under-funded."

He said access to testing and treatment should be "scaled up in parallel".