Why are STIs actually rising? Experts explain what's fuelling the explosion across age groups in England READ MORE: Teens and pensioners fuel surge in STIs with 22% spike in syphilis By Emily Stearn, Health Reporter For Mailonline Published: 13:27 EDT, 5 June 2024 | Updated: 04:52 EDT, 6 June 2024 e-mail 25 View comments England is beset by a post-pandemic surge in sexually transmitted infections (STIs), with experts suggesting the rise of dating apps, changing sexual appetites and older 'silver swipers' could be fuelling the rise. Official data shows 401,800 cases were diagnosed — including in children as young as 13 — in England last year, up almost a third on 2020. Spiking rates in young teenagers and pensioners have been partly blamed for driving the increase, which also saw gonorrhoea soar to the highest level ever recorded.
Some experts have pinned surging rates on a post-lockdown boom in people having condomless sex with new partners. But others sexual health specialists today told MailOnline the reasons behind the alarming rise in STIs are 'complex'. Dr Emma Harding-Esch, an epidemiologist and STI expert at London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine said: 'It's important to note that the UK is not the only country seeing these trends — they are a global phenomenon.
' Here, MailOnline breaks down the potential causes behind each age category. Your browser does not support iframes. Your browser does not support iframes.
13-24 year olds Official data shows the sha.
