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Sexually Transmitted Diseases: Young People

Volume 472: debated on Wednesday 27 February 2008

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many under 25-year olds received treatment for sexually transmitted infections in (a) Romford, (b) Essex and (c) Greater London in 2007. (179664)

Currently data are only collected nationally on diagnoses in genito-urinary medicine (GUM) clinics and at primary care trust (PCT) level in the National Chlamydia Screening Programme (NCSP).

Information on the diagnoses of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) in GUM clinics is only available at strategic health authority (SHA) level. The London SHA includes Romford and the Greater London areas. The East of England SHA includes Essex.

The number of selected sexually transmitted infections diagnosed in those under the age of 25 in the London SHA and the East of England SHA represented by gender in 2006, the latest date for which information is available, is shown in table 1.

The total number of chlamydia screens and chlamydia positive screens done by the NCSP, by PCT of residence in 2006 for the London SHA and East of England SHA is given in tables 2 and 3.

Table 1: Number of selected STIs diagnosed in those under the age of 25 in the London SHA and the East of England SHA represented by gender: 2006

SHA

Male diagnoses

Female diagnoses

Total diagnoses

2006

London

8,872

12,534

21,406

2006

East of England

4,192

6,230

10,422

Notes:

1. Data by age group are only available for the five main STIs, primary and secondary syphilis, uncomplicated gonorrhoea, uncomplicated chlamydia, anogenital herpes (first attack) and anogenital warts (first attack). As such the figures provided in table 1 are for these five STIs only. Data on the treatment of STIs are not available.

2. Data by age group are only available in the following age groups: <20, 20-24, 25-34, 35-44 and 45+.

3. The data available from the KC60 statutory returns are for diagnoses made in GUM clinics only. Diagnoses made in other clinical settings, such as general practice, are not recorded in the KC60 dataset.

4. The data available from the KC60 statutory returns are the number of diagnoses made, not the number of patients diagnosed. For example, individuals may be diagnosed with chlamydia several times in one year and each diagnosis will be counted separately.

5. The information provided has been adjusted for missing clinic data.

6. Data are unavailable for 2007.

Table 2: Number of all screens and positive screens performed by the NCSP, by PCT of residence: January-December 2006 for the London SHA

PCT name

Total screens

Positive

Negative

Percentage positive

Havering

428

46

382

10.75

Kingston

262

17

245

6.49

Bromley

692

65

616

9.54

Greenwich Teaching

672

75

584

11.38

Barnet

562

35

524

6.26

Hillingdon

336

40

293

12.01

Enfield

614

57

535

9.63

Barking and Dagenham

181

16

165

8.84

City and Hackney Teaching

516

29

481

5.69

Tower Hamlets

443

27

413

6.14

Newham

386

27

357

7.03

Haringey Teaching

705

58

626

8.48

Hammersmith and Fulham

519

37

480

7.16

Ealing

433

43

386

10.02

Hounslow

245

26

218

10.66

Brent Teaching

1,344

97

1,166

7.68

Harrow

846

57

734

7.21

Camden

982

56

902

5.85

Islington

1,260

79

1,121

6.58

Croydon

646

73

567

11.41

Kensington and Chelsea

355

25

327

7.10

Westminster

573

32

536

5.63

Lambeth

4,254

376

3,788

9.03

Southwark

3,223

300

2,862

9.49

Lewisham

4,947

509

4,312

10.56

Wandsworth

807

63

735

7.89

Richmond and Twickenham

281

18

262

6.43

Sutton and Merton

684

79

603

11.58

Redbridge

280

23

257

8.21

Waltham Forest

291

31

256

10.80

Bexley

265

27

237

10.23

Table 3: Number of all screens and positive screens performed by the NCSP, by PCT of residence: January-December 2006 for the East of England SHA

PCT name

Total screens

Positive

Negative

Percentage positive

Luton

744

82

657

11.10

South East Essex

2,102

184

1,913

8.77

Bedfordshire

755

80

660

10.81

East and North Hertfordshire

128

12

112

9.68

West Hertfordshire

163

13

148

8.07

Peterborough

288

21

236

8.17

Cambridgeshire

592

34

521

6.13

Norfolk

1,686

165

1,506

9.87

Great Yarmouth and Waveney

335

35

295

10.61

Suffolk

644

93

541

14.67

West Essex

90

10

79

11.24

North East Essex

26

2

24

7.69

Mid Essex

85

3

82

3.53

South West Essex

210

26

184

12.38

Notes:

1. NCSP undertakes screening of asymptomatic infection outside of GUM clinics and includes screens made by the Boots ‘Pathfinder’ project.

2. The data available from the NCSP are the number of screens done and not the number of patients included in the programme.

3. Only those aged <25 who have provided a postcode of residence are included.

Source:

The NCSP. Data as of 17 January 2008.