Surge in Sexually Transmitted Diseases Linked to End of Lockdown

Cases of gonorrhoea have soared by 50% in the past year to the highest on record, while those of syphilis are the highest since 1948, as sexually transmitted infections bounce back following lockdown. The Times has more.

The U.K. Health Security Agency said 82,592 people were diagnosed with gonorrhoea last year, the highest since records began in 1918, amid a rise in antibiotic-resistant infections.

More than a third of these cases were in people aged 15 to 24, but cases in pensioners have also doubled over the past year.

There were 537 gonorrhoea cases in over-65s, up from 289 the year before. Experts are concerned that older adults – some enjoying new-found sexual freedom or online dating after divorce – are not using condoms because of the low pregnancy risk.

Some 8,692 people were diagnosed with syphilis, up 15% on the year before. Syphilis is often thought of as a Victorian-era disease but the bacterial infection has staged a comeback over the past five years, and can cause life-threatening problems with the brain, heart or nerves.

Overall there were 392,453 STI cases, up by 24% on 2021, with chlamydia remaining the most common infection.

Worth reading in full.

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transmissionofflame
2 years ago

Not directly related, but during the lockdown period I always imagined that when it was finally over people would be partying in the streets. Instead it ended with a whimper, at least in my sphere of things. We had continued seeing those few close friends and family who were happy like us to disregard all the “rule of six” and “bubble” crap, and the rest of our friends and acquaintances and neighbours didn’t seem like they wanted to celebrate the restoration of freedom.

Seems like there might have been lots of celebrating elsewhere though judging by this article, which I find encouraging.

1984imminent
2 years ago

When restrictions ended, the news was all Ukraine, Ukraine, Ukraine, as part of the endless cycle of fear: followed soon after by monkeypox, extreme heat (could we have some more of that now, in this very cold June?). Poor old Saint Boris never got to have his big moment of saying “I am proudly ending all restrictions, which means I don’t have to follow them any more, not that I ever did.”

transmissionofflame
2 years ago
Reply to  1984imminent

True, though I mainly attribute it to the general populace being weird people who don’t really value their freedom much. Maybe I just know an unusually high proportion of wishy washy people.

JohnK
2 years ago

And no doubt there will be loads more spikes in other illnesses, caused by the “Lockdown”, rather than spreading the problems over time and resources to deal with them. Might not sell papers though – even the Times.

Mogwai
2 years ago

Well they say “Pride comes before a fall”, but I’m totally expecting to hear about a *rise* in Homopox by the end of the month.🙈🐒🌈

soundofreason
soundofreason
2 years ago

I’m actually surprised. Not that 15-24 year olds have been shagging each other but that they apparently stopped doing so during the lockdowns. I thought that at least would be unstoppable.

TheBasicMind
2 years ago
Reply to  soundofreason

They’ve actually to quite and extent stopped doing it altogether. I suspect this is a combination of porn, the sexes falling apart socially, fear of being called a rapist for daring to look or ending up being vilified as a perv on instagram because the person propositioned is an influencer seeking to entrap a man for video clickbait, and lastly people confused about their sex being surprised at their appendage and not knowing what is for (I imagine).

soundofreason
soundofreason
2 years ago
Reply to  TheBasicMind

While I agree with a lot of what you wrote above, it’s somewhat inconsistent with the story that STIs have increased post-lockdowns. That said, I’m not curious enough to pay to read an article in the Times so I can only criticise it based on the excerpt above.

One question that arises in my mind is: has the rate of STIs increased above pre-lockdown levels or back up to pre-lockdown levels? I guess I could go and consult the published data to find out.

soundofreason
soundofreason
2 years ago
Reply to  TheBasicMind

I see that most reliable of news sources, the BBC, has also covered this story (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-65810160). From a quick glance at their charts it would appear that the story is actually that the rise in gonorrhoea and syphilis is back on trend after a brief drop during the lockdowns.

VAX FREE IanC
2 years ago
Reply to  TheBasicMind

Luvvit TBM, sadly though you are far too close to the truth I fear.

Dinger64
2 years ago

That may not be so surprising considering more lockdown couples would be up to “it” for something to do and after the lockdown the young would at it like rabbits again!
So, where is the upsurge in birthrate? there aught to be a bump in births surely? but it has fallen, scary!

huxleypiggles
2 years ago

In view of the announcement re “vaccine passports” this bit of news pales in to insignificance, even for those who think it might, possibly, constitute news.

NickR
2 years ago

Up to 31 December 2022 there were 3,732 confirmed and highly probable Monkeypox cases reported in the UK. Of these, 3,553 were in England, 34 were in Northern Ireland, 97 were in Scotland and 48 were in Wales. Since the end of 2022 there have been an additional 21 cases.
This is how mad these people are, WHO & various acolytes in the UK try & get pandemic momentum behind something, which at a stretch, gets towards 4,000 cases in 2 years while a disease of some concern, good old gonorrhoea is about 40 x more common.

Jon Garvey
2 years ago

The interesting thing is the reverse correlation between STDs and live births post COVID. One theory was that people were off sex – clearly that’s not the case. So maybe people are just embarrassed having sex with a vaccine elephant in the room, and don’t conceive because of that.

True Spirit of America Party
True Spirit of America Party
2 years ago
Reply to  Jon Garvey

BINGO

Mogwai
2 years ago

This has to have been taken from inside a mental institution, right?

https://twitter.com/DrLoupis/status/1666098783892152321/photo/1

Epi
Epi
2 years ago
Reply to  Mogwai

Extraordinary and truly weird.

VAX FREE IanC
2 years ago
Reply to  Mogwai

Without a doubt!

DomTaylor
DomTaylor
2 years ago

Hardly surprising as there as been a surge in every other type of disease since the role of the COVID jabs. They’ve blamed most things other than the jabs, it was only a matter of time before sex was added to the list.

DevonBlueBoy
DevonBlueBoy
2 years ago

Those of us who are of a certain age may remember the old ditty, sung to the tune of ‘Men of Harlech’: “Some die of drinking water, and some of drinking beer. Some die of constipation, and some of diarrhoea. But of all the world’s diseases there’s none that can compare with the drip, drip, drip of a septic p***k and they call it gonorrhoea”.

Crouchback
Crouchback
2 years ago

This looks like typical media sensationalism. STI’s seem to be on an increasing long term trend and the MSM are playing around with % jumps from a lockdown dip. Interesting, though, that a weakened immune system would increase the likelihood that STI exposure would lead to infection,

Jane G
Jane G
2 years ago
Reply to  Crouchback

This was my first thought, too. If the jabs lower your resistance to infections, why not STIs?

V Detta
V Detta
2 years ago

I would like to add that the media always seem to make the mistake of saying that the reason older couples do not use condoms is because they do not need contraception. No. Sorry to be crude, but there is a more physical reason why. It is that many older men cannot maintain an erection long enough to put one on. This is never addressed in discussions on the media about the rise in STDs in over 65s. Nor do so called ‘experts’ give any practical advice about how this difficulty can be overcome.

beaniebean
beaniebean
2 years ago

Of course there may well have been an increase in promiscuity since the pandemic fear and restrictions were eased.
There is however considerable evidence that recurrent mRNA covid jabs reduce natural immunity. It could well be that natural immunity against sexually transmitted diseases has been impaired contributing to the surge in infections.
There is also some evidence that plasmid contamination of mRNA vaccines could contribute to the development of antibiotic resistance.
In the absence of open debate, discussion, investigation and further research on these issues it is all too easy to make the knee jerk assumption that it is promiscuity alone that has created this problem.
It is entirely analogous to the assertion that excess cardiac morbidity and mortality is totally unrelated to the mRNA vaccines but the result of reduced statin prescriptions and monitoring.

Claphamanian
Claphamanian
2 years ago

Lockdowns had a benefit then. Did anyone die of abstinence?

VAX FREE IanC
2 years ago

“Surge in Sexually Transmitted Diseases.”
Ooh goody, an STD pandemic, let’s create a new experimental safe, and effective gene therapy to cure and prevent these deadly diseases, we have the technology. In the meantime lock the dirty little blighters back in their homes and keep them away from each other until the new concoction is available to all. It’ll be ready the day after tomorrow.

EITCL
EITCL
2 years ago

I wonder if the COVID vaccine has damaged perople’s immune system so that they are much more vulnerable to catching infection. It would be good to see the breakdown of gonorrhoea and STI cases by vaccination staus.

Less government
2 years ago
Reply to  EITCL

I would say that with what we know about the harms mRNA injections can do to all our bodily organs and functions, including destroying our natural immune system, the probability that there is a link to these diseases must be very high.