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Young people carry a disproportionate burden of sexually transmitted infections in UK

BMJ 2008; 337 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.a854 (Published 16 July 2008) Cite this as: BMJ 2008;337:a854
  1. Andrew Cole
  1. 1London

    The number of diagnoses of sexually transmitted infections rose again last year in the United Kingdom, the latest figures show, and young people aged 16 to 24 years were disproportionately affected.

    Overall the number of infections diagnosed in UK genitourinary medicine clinics rose by 6%, from 375 843 in 2006 to 397 990 in 2007, says a report from the Health Protection Agency.

    The number of diagnoses of genital herpes rose by 20%, while those of chlamydia and genital warts went up by 7%. Diagnoses of gonorrhoea and syphilis fell marginally.

    Despite the fact that young people make up only one in eight of the population, they accounted for around half of all new diagnoses, including …

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