If you live in Gloucestershire, chances are that you’re better at taking care of your sexual health problems than those in neighbouring counties – once they’ve arisen. This is according to new figures from Public Health England, which have revealed that Gloucestershire has the highest number of people being tested for HIV in the Avon, Gloucestershire and Wiltshire area.
According to the findings, of the 80% of new genitourinary medicine patients whom were offered the test, almost all of them (91%) went through with it. While getting tested is absolutely vital if you think your wellness has been affected by a sexually transmitted infection (STI), the high rate of testing implies that prevention of STIs in the area is poor. The Public Health England report also showed that the wellbeing of more and more people in the region is being impacted by chlamydia, gonorrhoea and herpes.
In Gloucestershire last year, more than 16,000 people, aged between 15 ad 24, were tested for chlamydia, and 7.9% tested positive for the disease. From 2011 to 2012, and the number of herpes cases has gone up by 7%, while gonorrhoea in Gloucestershire has risen to 14.2 cases per 100,000 people. On the plus side, syphilis rates in the region have demonstrated a dramatic decrease, going from 41% to just 1.3 cases per 100,000 people. Gloucestershire cases of genital warts have also decreased, going from 104.1 cases per 100,000 people in 2011 to 99.3 in 2012 – that’s an annual decrease of 5%.
Cllr Dorcas Binns, cabinet minister for public health and communities, commented, ‘We shouldn’t be complacent. Free condom distribution for those at risk, genitourinary medicine services being introduced across the county and more STI testing for patients through GP practices will all play their part in bringing infection rates down even further in the future.’ While there are already four specialist GP practices in Gloucestershire that offer enhanced sexual health services, there are plans to increase their provision later this year. Health officials are also implementing initiatives to bring the number of STIs in the area down, such as operating a C-Card Scheme which distributes free condoms to all people under 25.
Comments are closed.