IT’S better to be safe than sorry – and it seems this is a message North East Lincolnshire residents are taking to heart.
The latest figures from Public Health England show that in Yorkshire and the Humber there has been an eight per cent rise in the number of Sexually Transmitted infections being diagnosed.
However, in North East Lincolnshire, the statistics show the rate of new diagnosis’ has actually fallen in many areas.
For example, in 2012 a total of 688 15 to 24 year olds were found to have chlamydia. This dropped to 589 in 2013.
However, there was a slight rise in the number of over 25s contracting the condition, with 176 being diagnosed in 2013 compared to 169 the previous year.
There were also drops in the number of newly diagnosed cases of herpes (down to 52 from 80); syphilis (down to just 3 from 11) and genital warts (down to 165 from 207).
But there was an increase in the number of people contracting gonorrhoea, which rose from 15 in 2012 to 21 in 2013.
The wider area’s statistics have prompted HIV and sexual health charity the Terrence Higgins Trust to call for improved sexual education lessons in schools.
Daisy Ellis, the charity’s acting policy director, said: “It is concerning to see such a marked increase in rates of gonorrhoea, chlamydia and syphilis in Yorkshire and the Humber, which suggests that the safer sex message isn’t getting through to everyone.
“This is a further reminder that the current approach to sex education in schools is not fit for purpose, leaving too many young people unprepared for the pressures of modern relationships.
“Taught properly, sex and relationships education has been shown to delay sexual activity, reduce the number of sexual partners, and increase the use of condoms and other contraception.
“Young people will continue to bear the brunt of sexual ill health until we have a high-quality programme of sex and relationships education taught in all schools.”
Comments are closed.