A rise in sexually transmitted infections (STIs) noted across Europe by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) has been described as "concerning" by the public health agency.

The latest ECDC reports on chlamydia, gonorrhoea and lymphogranuloma venereum (LGV) have highlighted a sharp increase in reported cases of these STIs across 27 EU/EEA countries.

This rise is similar to the increase in syphilis cases previously reported by the ECDC and illustrates a decade-long trend of growing STI rates across Europe bar for a dip in numbers during the Covid-19 pandemic.

The number of reported gonorrhoea cases has continued to increase, as they had done before the pandemic. In 2021 alone, there were 46,728 confirmed cases of gonorrhoea, surpassing pre-pandemic levels.

Though the data reveals substantial variations across the EU/EEA, men who have sex with men accounted for more than half of reported cases. Amid the rise in cases, concerns about antimicrobial resistance are particularly pronounced in the context of gonorrhoea. The European Gonococcal Antimicrobial Surveillance Programme has reported increasing resistance to two particular antibiotics, azithromycin and ciprofloxacin, emphasising the need for vigilant monitoring and robust response strategies.

The report on chlamydia has revealed a similar picture, with increases from 2012 to 2019, a decline in 2020 likely due to the impact of the pandemic followed by an increase again in 2021. Rates continued to be highest among young adult heterosexual women. Gender disparities in chlamydia testing, with young women receiving the most testing, mean chlamydia may be underdiagnosed among men.