Birmingham has been named as the sexually transmitted infection (STI) hotspot of the UK by a leading online clinic.

Sex on Female First

Sex on Female First

Data taken from 5,000 online consultations from the UK’s first legal online clinic HealthExpress.co.uk, showed that the residents of Birmingham sought the most advice for symptoms of STIs.

Following Birmingham, were the residents of East London, with Glasgow coming in a close third. In all locations, chlamydia was the most commonly treated STI, with gonorrhoea and genital warts being the second and third.

Dr Hilary Jones, Medical Adviser at HealthExpress.co.uk comments: “For the last two decades, the number of reported STIs has continued to increase, despite further education drives to teach us how to have safe sex."  

There has been a significant rise in the number of reported cases of STIs in the UK since the 1990s, with the number of reported cases of chlamydia tripling from 1995 – 2005.

The greatest affected age group of STIs is usually 16-24 year olds, however HealthExpress.co.uk data shows that the average age has risen to 34.9; and it is not only young people who have been infected with an STI, with HealthExpress treating 453 patients who are over 60.

Dr Jones continued: “There are a number of STIs that can be caught from either unprotected sex or close contact. Some are treatable, such as chlamydia and gonorrhoea, however those caused by viral infections such as genital herpes and genital warts may be difficult to treat or be incurable, and you could suffer symptoms throughout your life.

“Curable, or incurable, all STIs pose a risk to your health and can cause permanent damage or infertility if left untreated, so it is imperative you seek advice if you have been put at risk of infection. Online clinics like HealthExpress offer fully confidential consultations with speedy dispatch of medication, and are the perfect option for those who do not feel comfortable seeing their own GP about STIs”

The Top 10 STI regions in the UK are:

  1. Birmingham
  2. East London
  3. Glasgow
  4. South East London
  5. South West London
  6. Manchester
  7. Cardiff
  8. North London
  9. Sheffield
  10. West London 

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