Southwark’s 2020 STI rates were the second worst in the England despite an overall drop in diagnoses, according to newly published statistics.
Southwark’s sexual health has been revealed by data from Public Health England which showed an overall countrywide decrease of 30 per cent in new STI diagnoses between 2019 and 2020.
However, Southwark had one of the highest rates of STI diagnosis in the country, with 2,377 people per 100,000 infected – second only to Lambeth, with 3,060.
“No one wants to swap social distancing for an STI,” said Dr Katy Sinka, head of the Sexually Transmitted Infections section at PHE.
“If you are having sex with new or casual partners, use a condom and get tested.”
While the number of STI diagnoses for Southwark was lower than the 3,191 per 100,000 in 2019, the overall number of sexual health screenings fell by 25 per cent, and the number of consultations at sexual health services fell by 10 per cent.
STIs have long been considered a problem for the borough – in 2015, as reported by the News, Southwark had the third highest rate of STIs in London. The newly published data, then, suggests Southwark is doing even worse than before at preventing the spread of STIs when compared to other boroughs.
Professor Kevin Fenton, London regional director for Public Health England said: “It’s unsurprising that fewer STIs have been diagnosed in London in 2020, but cases of chlamydia, gonorrhoea and syphilis across the capital are still in the thousands and new STI rates remain the highest seen in England.”
“STIs can have a huge impact not just on sexual health, but our mental health and wellbeing, as well as that of current and future sexual partners.”
The data comes as a London-wide campaign by Do It London aims to promote HIV awareness via a major advertising boost across TfL services.
As in previous years, the highest rates of STI diagnoses in 2020 were seen in young people 15 to 24 years, people of Black ethnicity, and gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men.
The data may be influenced by the way in which people used sexual health services for consultations.
The number of in-person consultations inn 2020 fell by 35 per cent, but internet and telephone consultations increased by 100 per cent and 250 per cent respectively.
This coincided directly with the beginning of lockdown; for instance, the number of gonorrhoea tests delivered online peaked in April 2020.
This may explain some of the more extreme results. For instance, STIs that were usually diagnosed in face-to-face consultations saw the biggest drop in diagnoses – such as first episode genital warts, which saw a 46 per cent drop in diagnoses.