Europe is facing a surge in STIs, says ECDC
Cases of sexually-transmitted infections (STIs) – particularly gonorrhoea and syphilis – have been rapidly rising and are now at record levels, according to the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC).
The finding comes from a series of just-published ECDC epidemiological reports on common STIs – gonorrhoea, syphilis, chlamydia, and the chlamydia-related condition lymphogranuloma venereum (LGV) – based on data from 2024.
Aside from the worrying increase in case numbers, the highest in a decade, the agency has also found "widening gaps" in testing and prevention among the 29 countries covered by its analysis, and is calling for urgent, targeted action to prevent further spread.
For instance, 13 of 29 reporting countries still charge out-of-pocket costs for basic STI tests, some countries still have outdated practices that limit the effect of interventions like post-exposure antibiotics, and many national prevention strategies fail to account for post-pandemic behavioural changes.
The reports show that cases of gonorrhoea reached more than 106,000 in 2024, a fourfold increase on the level seen in 2015, while syphilis cases more than doubled to nearly 45,600 over the same period.
Congenital syphilis – which is entirely preventable but can have devastating consequences, including miscarriage, stillbirth, severe birth defects, or infant death – rose to 140 cases, the highest level since 2009.
Chlamydia remained the most common STI, with 213,000 cases in 2024, while LGV – an infection that attacks the lymphatic system and can cause permanent tissue damage to the genitals or bowel – rose 250% compared to 2015 to nearly 3,500 cases.
"Untreated, these infections can cause severe complications, such as chronic pain and infertility and, in the case of syphilis, problems with the heart or nervous system," said Bruno Ciancio, head of the ECDC's Directly Transmitted and Vaccine-Preventable Diseases unit.
"Protecting your sexual health remains straightforward," he added. "Use condoms with new or multiple partners, and get tested if you have symptoms, such as pain, discharge or an ulcer."
Among the hot spots for the rate of new infections by population in the ECDC report – which does not include the UK – Ireland topped the table for the number of confirmed gonorrhoea cases, followed by Malta and Iceland.
Malta led the pack for syphilis, ahead of Spain and Portugal, while for chlamydia the top three locations were Denmark, Iceland, and Norway.
While men who have sex with men remain the most disproportionately affected group, heterosexual transmission of syphilis is rising, particularly among women of childbearing age, which is raising congenital transmission rates.
In the UK, STI figures are compiled by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) which said in its latest update that in England there were almost 169,000 chlamydia, 72,000 gonorrhoea, and 9,500 syphilis cases in 2024.
Those figures came ahead of the launch of the world's first gonorrhoea vaccination campaign, using GSK's Bexsero (4CMenB) shot, in May 2025. Sanofi, meanwhile, started clinical testing of an experimental chlamydia vaccine last year.
"Reversing increasing trends in STI cases requires accessible prevention services, easier access to testing, faster treatment, and stronger partner notification to stop onward transmission," said the ECDC.
"Without decisive action, current trends are likely to continue, increasing negative health consequences and widening inequalities in access to care."
Photo by Vitaly Gariev on Unsplash
