STI rate grows in Crawley during pandemic

Crawley was the only area in England to see its sexually transmitted infection rates increase during the coronavirus pandemic, figures suggest, despite plunging numbers across England.
Watch more of our videos on Shots! 
and live on Freeview channel 276
Visit Shots! now

Fewer people having sex during lockdowns and disruption to health services contributed to a steep drop in diagnoses of STIs across the country last year, experts say.

The British Association for Sexual Health and HIV warned that the latest figures could represent 'the tip of the iceberg'.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Public Health England data shows 1,036 STIs were diagnosed in Crawley in 2020.

Public Health England data shows 1,036 STIs were diagnosed in Crawley in 2020Public Health England data shows 1,036 STIs were diagnosed in Crawley in 2020
Public Health England data shows 1,036 STIs were diagnosed in Crawley in 2020

It meant 921 in every 100,000 people in the area were infected with potentially life-changing diseases including syphilis, gonorrhoea and chlamydia.

That rate is up from 2019, when roughly 873 in 100,000 people in Crawley were diagnosed with an STI.

The most common infection in the area was chlamydia with 623 cases found in 2020. A further 83 gonorrhoea cases were diagnosed, as well as 30 of syphilis, 78 of genital herpes and 102 of genital warts.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Dr John McSorley, president of BASHH, said the national drop in diagnoses highlighted the 'stark and concerning' impact Covid-19 has had on sexual health services.

He said: "Whilst a drop in the number of new infections appears positive, it is important to remember that England entered the Covid pandemic with the highest rates of some STIs since the Second World War.

"This data therefore likely represents the tip of the iceberg.

"STIs haven't gone away, chains of infections haven't been broken."

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

He urged people to come forward for testing, saying sexually transmitted infections could have life-changing consequences.

Dr Katy Sinka, from PHE, 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.”

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

The national drop reflects a combination of reduced STI testing as a result of pandemic-influenced disruption to sexual health services and changes in sexual behaviour since March 2020, according to a PHE report.

It said testing and diagnoses decreased across all infections during the first year of the coronavirus pandemic, but sexual health services continued to diagnose hundreds of thousands of infections after scaling up telephone and internet consultations during lockdown periods.

Face-to-face appointments for urgent or complex cases also continued in that time.