Why you can’t put rising rates of gonorrhea and syphilis just down to PrEP

The new figures from Public Health England on STI rates make for quite grim reading.

Although overall the number of STI diagnoses in England remains level, there have been steep increases in the rates of gonorrhea (22%) and syphilis (20%).

Once again gay and bisexual men recorded particularly high rates of STIs, accounting for 43% of the gonorrhea cases, despite only accounting for about 3% of the population.

Some were quick to point the blame at the increasing use of PrEP as HIV prevention.

They argue that PrEP is driving people from condom use to non-barrier methods of HIV prevention which, unlike condoms, do not also protect against other STIs.

The truth is a bit more complex than that. For many men who have adopted PrEP it is…

Read full story from Gay Star News: Why you can’t put rising rates of gonorrhea and syphilis just down to PrEP

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