Liverpool is one of the 'STI capitals' of the country

New research has revealed Liverpool is one of the 'STI capitals' of the country, with over 7,000 new Sexually Transmitted Infections (STI) diagnoses last year.

The research by NowPatient looked STI data across the UK to reveal the areas and regions where infections are most prevalent, both overall and by individual STIs. The infections included in the study are chlamydia, gonorrhoea, genital warts and herpes, syphilis, trichomoniasis, mycoplasma genitalium and HIV.

Regionally, London saw the highest STI rates in the UK in 2022, with the North West having the second highest.

Outside of London, Liverpool had the second-highest STI diagnosis rate, with 1,514.38 cases per 100,000 people in. The city saw 7,337 STI diagnoses in 2022, which is far higher than first-place Lincoln with 2,021, but its much larger population resulted in a lower overall rate.

Liverpool also saw the most cases (outside of London) of gonorrhoea, with 311.88 diagnoses per 100,000 people, and the most cases of mycoplasma genitalium, with 53.25 diagnoses per 100,000 people.

Manchester had the third-highest rate of STI diagnoses outside of London, with 1,403.47 new cases per 100,000 people and the highest base number of new infections outside of the capital - 7,717. Manchester’s high rate of diagnoses also suggests the existence of an STI hotspot in the North West’s largest cities, with Liverpool, Manchester and Salford all making the top 10.

The news comes after Liverpool City Council announced a new approach to improving access to sexual and reproductive health services, which aims to 'remove any barriers' which are preventing people from accessing support.

The new strategy, which will be in place from 2024-2030, aims to offers improvements in testing and treatment for sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and contraception, and hopes that by 2030, there will be no rise in the number of STI diagnoses in Liverpool.