STI rise in women a 'concern'
Updated on 25 November 2008
Increasing rates of sexually transmitted infections among young women are a "particular concern", a new report warned.
Specialist clinics in Scotland diagnosed more than 3,000 cases of such infections in women under the age of 20 in 2007. Staff at genitourinary medicine (GUM) clinics also dealt with more than 3,000 cases of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) in females aged 20 to 24.
Statistics showed that there were a total of 22,906 STI diagnoses made at GUM clinics in 2007 - almost double the total of 11,690 in 1997. The report, by the Sexually Transmitted Infections Epidemiology Advisory Group, warned: "The increase in infections among young women aged less than 25 is of particular concern".
Last year GUM clinics made 2,045 diagnoses of chlamydia in women under 20, and 1,893 diagnoses in females between 20 and 24. There were 1,103 diagnoses of genital warts in women under 20 and 1,166 in females in the 20 to 24 age range, while there were 170 cases of genital herpes in females under 20 and 309 cases in women aged 20 to 24.
The report also said diagnoses of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) in both heterosexual men and women had continued to increase. And it added: "Young people aged less than 25 are the group most at risk of being diagnosed with an STI."
The report revealed that 61% of all STI diagnoses made in GUM clinics in 2007 were in under 25s. And 72% of diagnoses of chlamydia were in this age group, while two thirds of diagnoses of genital warts in women and half of those in men were also in under 25s.
The report pointed out that over the past five years there had been an increase in the four major STIs - genital chlamydia, gonorrhoea, genital herpes and genital warts - apart from cases of gonorrhoea in men.
It said: "During the previous five years the trends for the four major STIs, genital chlamydia, gonorrhoea, genital herpes and genital warts, indicate a general increase in diagnoses, with the exception of gonorrhoea in infection in men.
There were 17,928 cases of chlamydia diagnosed in 2007, with infection rates stable over the last two years. And over 70% of these cases were in those aged under 25. GUM clinics diagnosed 1,511 people with genital herpes in 2007 - a 43% increase from 2002.
There were 249 cases of infectious syphilis diagnosed at GUM clinics in 2007 - the highest total since 1952. However the figure was only slightly up from 2006, when there were 246 diagnoses. And 94% of the cases diagnosed in 2007 were males, the majority of whom were men who have sex with men.
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