AN antibiotic-resistant strain of ‘super gonorrhoea’ has been identified in the UK.

The new strain is resistant to ceftriaxone, which is the main drug used to treat the sexually transmitted infection (STI). 

Four cases have been discovered in the country in total so far.

It comes after data analysed by men’s health platform Manual revealed the regions of the UK with the highest number of STIs, using data from Public Health England and the Office for Nationals Statistics (ONS). 

The Argus:

London came out on top with the highest number of recorded STI cases in England, a total of 87,690 cases in 2020.

The south east had the second highest number of cases with 32,972, followed by the North West with 29,972.

The north east was the region with the fewest number of cases at 11,251, while the east Midlands had 18,920 cases in 2020. 

The results also show that chlamydia is the most common STI in each region of England. 

In London, there were 43,964 reported cases of chlamydia, that means 1 in every 200 people are affected by the infection.

There were 20,281 reported cases of chlamydia in the south east, while the North West had 17,955. 

Leading clinical sexologist Ness Cooper explains: “When it comes to where people live, lots of factors can have an impact on how likely you are to contract an STI. 

“For example, was your school progressive or conservative when it came to openness around sex? 

“Places where there are laws preventing expression of sexuality, and cultural expectations can also be a big factor in access to STI prevention and treatment.”

The study by Manual also compared which STIs were most common among different age groups. 

The research found that chlamydia was most common among adults aged 20-24 with 60,059 cases. 

This is closely followed by adults aged 25-34 with 47,260 cases of chlamydia and those aged between 15-19 were the third highest, with 32,731 cases. 

Gonorrhoea was highest among adults aged 25-34 with 22,120 cases and the 20-24 age group with 13,447 cases. 

Adults aged 35-44 are the third most affected, with 9,690 diagnoses in 2020.

Have you got a story for us? Email news@theargus.co.uk or contact us here.

Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to keep up with all the latest news.

Sign up to our newsletter to get updates sent straight to your inbox.

You can also call us on 01273 021 400.