England Genital Herpes Diagnoses Rise 3% to 29,000 as Overall STI Cases Fall 8%

1 articles · Updated · BBC.com · Jun 2

Nearly 29,000 genital herpes cases were diagnosed in England in 2025, up 3% from 2024 even as total STI diagnoses fell to about 334,000 from 364,000.
UKHSA said herpes is spreading through skin-to-skin contact and can be passed on even without visible symptoms, making testing important after sex with a new or casual partner.
Cases have climbed again since Covid-era testing disruptions but remain below the nearly 35,000 diagnoses recorded in 2019.
Mixed trends persisted across groups: syphilis in gay and bisexual men fell 19% to its lowest since 2016, while syphilis in heterosexual women rose 5%.
Chlamydia remained the most common STI at almost half of diagnoses, but chlamydia testing dropped 9% in 2025, raising concerns over missed infections and complications.

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