Biblical STI cases soaring to dangerously high level - see how your area fares

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 where you live.

While the latest data shows an “encouraging” recent decline in rates of gonorrhoea - the ancient sexually transmitted infection which is referenced in the Bible and early Greek and Roman writing - cases remain high. It comes as the UK Health Security Agency has warned students not to have unprotected sex.

Medics say STIs are “declining from a high level” and that students need to be aware of the risks of infections, which are most common among those aged 15 to 24. Last year, there were 71,802 cases of gonorrhoea in England, double the number from a decade ago and 167% higher than in 2012.

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The infection rate - used to measure the risk of catching a disease - stood at 124.5 infections per 100,000 people in 2024. That’s the equivalent of one in 803 people catching this STI, and it is double the rate from a decade ago (68.3 infections per 100,000 people).

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. 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.

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. The risk of contracting gonorrhoea is far greater in some parts of the country, particularly London.

Last year, 3,516 diagnoses of gonorrhoea were made in Lambeth. Considering the population size, this equates to 1,113.7 infections per 100,000 people - or the equivalent of about one in 90 people catching gonorrhoea. All 15 areas with the highest rates of infection were in London. Lambeth was followed by Southwark (958.3 per 100,000), then Hackney (866.5 per 100,000).

Outside the capital, the risk of catching gonorrhoea was greatest in Manchester (271.4 infections per 100,000 people), Brighton (259.6 per 100,000), Salford (246.0), Liverpool (216.6), and Nottingham (203.8). 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.

Dr Hamish Mohammed, Consultant Epidemiologist at UKHSA, said: “Starting university is an exciting time - don’t 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.

“Using 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.”

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. The disease is thought to be referenced several times in the Bible, particularly in the Old Testament Book of Leviticus, which warns: “The man that hath an issue of seed, shall be unclean.”

The Romans, Jews and Arabs all have documents referring to gonorrhoea and each society had its description of symptoms and treatment. It is recorded that Pasiphae, the wife of King Minos of Crete, used a goat’s bladder as a condom as the King’s semen was said to contain “scorpions and serpents” that killed his mistresses.

The disease’s 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 “involuntary escape of semen”. Symptoms of gonorrhoea, formerly known as “the clap”, include a thick green or yellow discharge from the vagina or penis, pain when peeing and, in women, bleeding between periods.

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. 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.