SEXUALLY transmitted infections are on the rise again in Merseyside with Liverpool’s Royal hospital detecting more new cases than any other hospital in the North West, according to latest figures.
A Health Protection Agency (HPA) report shows 5,721 diagnoses of diseases such as chlamydia, herpes and gonorrhoea were recorded at the Royal in 2007.
There was an overall increase in the number of STIs diagnosed across Merseyside last year, which has been partly attributed to better testing rates.
The rising trendwas also seen across the North West and UK.
Ormskirk General Hospital recorded the lowest rate of new cases in the area, with just 136 .
Comparisons with Manchester show a disproportionately high rate of infection recorded in Liverpool relative to its size.
Almost half of new cases were found in young people, even though they make up just one eighth of the population.
In the St Helens and Halton Primary Care Trust (PCT) area there were 539 new cases recorded, of which 16-24 year olds accounted for 298.
However, while young people are more liable to acquire sexually transmitted diseases, they are also more likely to get tested for them, which is reflected in the higher rates of incidence in this age group.
Professor Peter Borriello, director of the agency’s centre for infections, said: “The number of people being tested for STIs has risen considerably over the past five years, giving us a better insight into the sexual health of the nation. More than one million sexual health screenings were carried out in 2007 – a 10% increase on the previous year and one of the reasons why we have seen an increase in the number of diagnoses.”
STIs had been declining since a peak in 2004, but the rate of new infections rose 6% in the North West from 43,558 in 2006 to 46,017 in 2007, partly due to better detection and screening.
Dr Roberto Vivancos, the Agency’s head of sexual health in Cheshire and Merseyside, said: “We can take some comfort from the reductions in syphilis, gonorrhoea and new cases of HIV infection. However, there is no room for complacency.”
