Syphilis cases in city at a record high

STI is linked with dementia

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RECORD numbers of sexually active men and women in Stoke-on-Trent were diagnosed with syphilis last year, new figures show.

A total of 72 people were struck down with the sexually-transmitted illness in the city in 2024.

This is a rise from 68 in 2023 before and the highest figure since records began in 2012. Overall, 1,731 STI diagnoses were recorded in Stoke-on-Trent last year, including 903 for chlamydia and 333 for gonorrhoea.

The data from the UK Health Security Agency has been released as medics have warned the number of people contracting such infections in England remains a 'big threat to sexual wellbeing.

Across England, early-stage syphilis diagnoses rose 1.7%, from 9,375 in 2023 to 9,535 in 2024. The overall figure for syphilis, including late-stage syphilis or complications from the infection, increased 5% from 12,456 in 2023 to 13,030 in 2024.

Chlamydia fell 13%, from 194,143 diagnoses in 2023 to 168,889 in 2024, while people diagnosed for the first time with genital warts also dropped.

NHS guidance states that, if left untreated, syphilis can cause "potentially life-threatening complications". These include heart problems, such as heart failure, and organ problems, as well as dementia and other brain issues.