New cases seen at genitourinary medicine clinics: England 1996

Statistics from genitourinary medicine clinics provide the most comprehensive source of data on the epidemiology of sexually transmitted infections (STI) in England. This is the first report to be published in a journal since 1986. The total number of diagnoses made increased by 5% between 1995 and 1996, the increase for females (8%) being greater than that for males (3%). Total diagnoses of acute STIs rose by 7% between 1995 and 1996. Diagnoses of gonorrhoea, genital Chlamydia trachomatis, and genital warts rose by 20%, 11%, and 5%, respectively, over the same period. Rises were most pronounced among teenagers and homosexual and bisexual men. These data suggest that these groups should continue to be a focus for sexual health education and intervention programmes. The behavioural and sociodemographic changes behind these increases are impossible to determine without further research. Many of the conditions for which a rising trend has been observed are curable. These trends suggest that safer practices in sexual behaviour are being neglected, which could leave many individuals vulnerable to HIV infection.