Students are urged to use condoms as gonorrhoea rates remain high

posted by: Susan Mills

News issued from the UK Health Security Agency recently has highlighted the danger of catching a sexually transmitted infection (STI) through condomless sex.

The news has been issued to coincide with Freshers’ weeks at Universities to help encourage students to wear a condom and get tested regularly to protect themselves and others from STIs.

Diagnoses of gonorrhoea rose sharply in 2022, with 82,592 cases reported – a rise of 50% from the previous year.

Young people aged 15-24 remain the most likely to be diagnosed with STIs and, although many STIs can be easily treated with antibiotics, many can cause serious health issues if left untreated.

Wearing a condom can protect against STIs, as well as prevent unwanted pregnancies. Free condoms are available to all under 24s living in Devon and Torbay through the C-Card scheme. You can register and order condoms online, or to find your nearest C-Card collection site, you can use our find a service function.

Free STI testing is also available at Devon Sexual Health clinics, and if you are under 25, you can also order online testing kits via freetest.me.

The full UKSHA news release can be read here.