15 August 2024- New data from the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) highlights a concerning rise in antibiotic-resistant gonorrhoea infections in England.

In 2023, over 85,000 gonorrhoea diagnoses were reported in England, the highest number since records began in 1918. This highlights the importance of regular STI testing, especially if you have condomless sex with new or casual partners. While the infection can usually be easily treated, some strains are resistant to commonly used antibiotics and are harder to treat. A type that poses a particular threat is ceftriaxone-resistant gonorrhoea. Ceftriaxone is the ‘first line’ antibiotic used to treat gonorrhoea in this country and so resistance to the drug can make treatment difficult, especially for gonorrhoea infections in the throat.

Between June 2022 and May 2024, 15 ceftriaxone-resistant gonorrhoea cases were detected in England, including 5 that were found to be extensively drug-resistant (resistant to both first- and second-line treatment options and other antibiotics). Since the first case detected in England in 2015, there have now been a total of 31 ceftriaxone-resistant gonorrhoea cases, 7 of which were extensively drug-resistant.

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‘‘Gonorrhoea is becoming increasingly resistant to antibiotics, risking the possibility of it becoming untreatable in the future. Untreated gonorrhoea can lead to serious health issues, including pelvic inflammatory disease and infertility. Condoms are the best defence, but if you didn’t use one with a recent new or casual partner, get tested to detect the infection and prevent onwards transmission.’’ Said Dr Helen Fifer, Consultant Microbiologist at  UKHSA

‘‘The rise of antibiotic-resistant gonorrhoea infections in England is a worrying trend that must be addressed with immediate action. Antibiotic resistance of STIs poses an increasingly major public health threat, which can create physical and psychological harms and place additional demands on other parts of the NHS. BASHH, alongside sector partners, has repeatedly called for a sexual health strategy for England; this must be a priority if our expert sexual health workforce are to effectively meet these growing and changing needs in sexual health.’’ Said Professor Matt Phillips, President of the British Association for Sexual Health and HIV