Cases of gonorrhoea have hit a record high as fears grow over an imported super strain that is proving resistant to treatment.
Over 85,000 gonorrhoea diagnoses were reported in England last year, the highest number since records began in 1918.
The UK Health Security Agency, which published the figures, is urging people who have condomless sex with new or casual partners to get tested.
It warned that while the infection can usually be easily treated, some strains are resistant to commonly used antibiotics – making them harder to clear.
Those who remain infected are at risk of becoming infertile.
The Local Government Association, which represents councils with responsibility for commissioning clinics, blamed the rise in infections on people struggling to access to contraception and the huge demand for care.
 A type that poses a ‘particular threat’ is ceftriaxone-resistant gonorrhoea, the UKHSA said.
 Ceftriaxone is the ‘first line’ antibiotic used to treat gonorrhoea in England and so resistance to the drug can make treatment difficult, especially for gonorrhoea infections in the throat.
Between June 2022 and May 2024, 15 ceftriaxone-resistant gonorrhoea cases were detected in England, including five that were ‘extensively drug-resistant’, meaning resistant to both first- and second-line treatment options and to other antibiotics.
Until 2022, only nine cases had been detected in England in total.
To date, all detected cases have been among heterosexuals, mostly in their 20s, and most acquired the infection abroad.
There has been limited transmission within England, but the UKHSA said the increasing number of cases in recent years is ‘concerning’ as it raises the chance of ‘wider spread and treatment challenges’.
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Dr Helen Fifer, a consultant microbiologist at UKHSA, said: ‘Gonorrhoea is becoming increasingly resistant to antibiotics, risking the possibility of it becoming untreatable in the future.
‘Untreated gonorrhoea can lead to serious health issues, including pelvic inflammatory disease and infertility.
‘Condoms are the best defence, but if you didn’t use one with a recent new or casual partner, get tested to detect the infection and prevent onwards transmission.’
Professor Matt Phillips, president of the British Association for Sexual Health and HIV, said: ‘The rise of antibiotic-resistant gonorrhoea infections in England is a worrying trend that must be addressed with immediate action.
‘Antibiotic resistance of STIs poses an increasingly major public health threat, which can create physical and psychological harms and place additional demands on other parts of the NHS.
‘BASHH, alongside sector partners, has repeatedly called for a sexual health strategy for England; this must be a priority if our expert sexual health workforce are to effectively meet these growing and changing needs in sexual health.’
Meanwhile, the latest data from UKHSA show that syphilis rates are still rising.
Syphilis can cause severe, irreversible, and potentially life-threatening damage to the brain, heart, or nerves if not treated.
In 2023, diagnoses of infectious syphilis rose to 9,513, a 9.4 per cent increase from 2022 (8,693).
The highest rates were among gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men, however, the largest proportional rise between 2022 and 2023 was in heterosexuals.
UKHSA is also reminding healthcare professionals to be alert to the signs of syphilis.
The UKHSA says the increase in gonorrhoea and syphilis diagnoses will in part be due to increases in testing but may also be due to more transmission of these STIs within the population.
It added: ‘Both of these STIs are easy to catch and are on the rise.
‘If you are having condomless sex with new or casual partners, regular testing for STIs and HIV is essential to maintain good sexual health.
‘Testing is free and can be accessed through local sexual health clinics, university and college medical centres or through self-sampling kits sent discreetly through the post.’
