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Gonorrhoea bacteria(Image: CDC\/PA Wire)<\/p>\nYou can see the cases and rate of gonorrhoea where you live, and how that has changed over the last decade, using our interactive map.Gonorrhoea bacteria(Image: CDC\/PA Wire)<\/p>\n
Students have been warned to wear condoms during Freshers Week as infections of a Biblical STI remain dangerously high – and our map reveals how infections have soared across Gloucestershire.<\/p>\n
While the latest data shows an \u201cencouraging\u201d recent decline in rates of gonorrhoea – the ancient sexually transmitted infection (STI) which is referenced in the Bible and early Greek and Roman writing – cases remain high.<\/p>\n
The UK Health Security Agency has now warned students not to have unprotected sex during Freshers Week. Medics say STIs are \u201cdeclining from a high level\u201d and that students need to be aware of the risks of infections, which are most common among those aged 15 to 24.<\/p>\n
Last year, there were 71,802 cases of gonorrhoea in England – including 361 in Gloucestershire – double the number from a decade ago and 167% higher than in 2012.<\/p>\n
The infection rate – used to measure the risk of catching a disease – stood at 124.5 infections per 100,000 people in 2024. That\u2019s the equivalent of one in 803 people in England catching this STI, and it is double the rate from a decade ago (68.3 infections per 100,000 people).<\/p>\n
However, that is lower than last year (148.0 infections per 100,000 people), when gonorrhoea cases peaked at 85,370, more than at any other time since records began more than 100 years ago.<\/p>\n
Cases had been rising dramatically over the last decade, dropping off during the lockdowns and isolation of the pandemic and returning to record levels after restrictions were lifted.<\/p>\n
While infections fell by 16% in 2024 – and continue to fall, with 2,030 cases between January and March this year, down from 2,320 cases the previous quarter, between October and December 2024 – they remain historically high.<\/p>\n
In Gloucestershire, the risk of contracting gonorrhoea is higher in Gloucester than anywhere else in our area.<\/p>\n
Last year, 120 diagnoses of gonorrhoea were made in Gloucester. Considering the population size, this equates to 88.9 infections per 100,000 people – or the equivalent of about one in 1,125 people catching gonorrhoea.<\/p>\n
Cheltenham has the next highest rate with 80.7 infections per 100,000 of the population, and then Tewkesbury (43.5 per 100,000).<\/p>\n
You can see the cases and rate of gonorrhoea where you live, and how that has changed over the last decade, using our interactive map.<\/p>\n
Dr Hamish Mohammed, Consultant Epidemiologist at UKHSA, said: \u201cStarting university is an exciting time – don\u2019t let getting an STI ruin the fun. Rates of STIs remain high among young people, but there are simple steps you can take to protect yourself.<\/p>\n
\u201cUsing condoms is one of the most effective ways to reduce your risk. If you’ve had condomless sex with a new or casual partner and are experiencing any STI symptoms, it’s important to get tested. Testing is free and confidential and gives you peace of mind as you start the new academic year.\u201d<\/p>\n
Gonorrhoea can be traced back to Biblical times and mentions of this sexual infection can be found in the earliest records of the human race.<\/p>\n
The disease is thought to be referenced several times in the Bible, particularly in the Old Testament Book of Leviticus, which warns: \u201cThe man that hath an issue of seed, shall be unclean.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Romans, Jews and Arabs all have documents referring to gonorrhoea and each society had its description of symptoms and treatment.<\/p>\n
It is recorded that Pasiphae, the wife of King Minos of Crete, used a goat\u2019s bladder as a condom as the King\u2019s semen was said to contain \u201cscorpions and serpents\u201d that killed his mistresses.<\/p>\n
The disease\u2019s name is almost as ancient as its descriptions. It is thought to have been coined by the Roman physician Galen around 130 AD who described gonorrhoea as an \u201cinvoluntary escape of semen\u201d.<\/p>\n
Symptoms of gonorrhoea, formerly known as \u201cthe clap\u201d, include a thick green or yellow discharge from the vagina or penis, pain when peeing and, in women, bleeding between periods.<\/p>\n
It is normally spread by having unprotected sex, or in some cases by sharing sex toys, but it can also be passed from a pregnant woman to her baby.<\/p>\n
If untreated, complications can include pelvic inflammatory disease, ectopic pregnancy and infertility in women; and scrotal swelling, urethral stricture – which can make it painful to pass urine and can lead to infection – and infertility in men. Without treatment, gonorrhoea can cause permanent blindness.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"You can see the cases and rate of gonorrhoea where you live, and how that has changed over…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":147253,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[17991,59,17990,18089,102,17989,56,54,55],"class_list":{"0":"post-147252","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-health","8":"tag-cheltenham","9":"tag-gb","10":"tag-gloucester","11":"tag-gloucestershire","12":"tag-health","13":"tag-tewkesbury","14":"tag-uk","15":"tag-united-kingdom","16":"tag-unitedkingdom"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/147252","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=147252"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/147252\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/147253"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=147252"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=147252"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=147252"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}