Manchester and Salford named two of the gonorrhoea capitals of the UK

A new study has revealed Manchester and Salford are among the gonorrhoea capitals of the UK.

As a fantastic city of opportunities, entertainment, music and culture, Manchester is used to coming out on top, as is the city of Salford.

According to a new study, Manchester and Salford have gone and done it again, however this time it’s for something we probably don’t want to be shouting about – cases of gonorrhoea.

To be fair, it will probably come as no surprise as both areas offer a brilliant nightlife and see students travel from near and far to study here, as well as people coming for work and the buzz of city life.

Health experts at NowPatient have looked at STI data across the UK to reveal the areas and regions where these infections are most prevalent. 

The STIs included in the study are chlamydia, gonorrhoea, genital warts & herpes, syphilis, trichomoniasis, mycoplasma genitalium and HIV.

The research revealed that Manchester is the second most infected area of England with 1,692 newly reported diagnoses and 307.72 per 100,000 people.

Salford comes in as the fifth most infected area with gonorrhoea, with a total of 740 newly reported diagnoses and 273.3 per 100,000 people.  

But crowned as THE gonorrhoea capital, with the most cases according to the study, is our Merseyside neighbours – Liverpool. 

With a population of 484,488 compared to Manchester’s larger 549,853 population, Liverpool had 1,692 newly reported infections and 307.72 diagnoses per 100,000 people. It’s not looking great for the North West!

Navin Khosla, a pharmacist at NowPatient has warned of the signs and symptoms of gonorrhoea to look out for and what you should do if you think you have it.

Mr Khosla says: “Gonorrhoea is transmitted through unprotected, oral or anal sex and when sharing vibrators or other sex toys that have not been washed or covered with a new condom each time they’re used.

“Gonorrhoea is the second most common STI in the UK, and anyone sexually active can catch the disease.

“Particularly those who change partners frequently and do not use a condom when having sex. Around 1 in 10 infected men and almost half of infected women do not know they have it. However, there are symptoms to keep an eye out for:

• Thick green or yellow discharge from the vagina or penis.
• Pain when urinating.
• In women, bleeding between periods.

“If you are experiencing any of these symptoms, or think you are at risk of having an STI, contact your GP for an appointment, or visit a community contraceptive service or local genitourinary medicine (GUM) clinic to get tested.”

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