Public health officials are warning of a concerning rise in antibiotic-resistant gonorrhoea infections in England.

Data from the UK Health Security Agency shows there have been 15 new confirmed cases of ceftriaxone-resistant Neisseria gonorrhoeae between June 2022 and May 2024.

This includes five cases which were extensively drug-resistant to first and second line antibiotics as well as others, a report has warned.

To date, all detected cases of antibiotic-resistant infections have been among heterosexual individuals, mostly in their 20s most of whom acquired the infection abroad.

Since the first case detected in England in 2015, there have now been a total of 31 ceftriaxone-resistant Neisseria gonorrhoeae cases, seven of which were extensively drug-resistant.

There has been limited transmission within England, but the increasing number of cases in recent years boosts the chance of wider spread and treatment challenges, UKHSA officials said.

It follows figures from last year showing the highest number of gonorrhoea diagnoses since records began with 85,000 infections in England in 2023.

Dr Helen Fifer, consultant microbiologist at UKHSA, said: ‘Gonorrhoea is becoming increasingly resistant to antibiotics, risking the possibility of it becoming untreatable in the future.

‘Untreated gonorrhoea can lead to serious health issues, including pelvic inflammatory disease and infertility.’

Professor Matt Phillips, president of the British Association for Sexual Health and HIV, said: ‘The rise of antibiotic-resistant gonorrhoea infections in England is a worrying trend that must be addressed with immediate action.

‘Antibiotic resistance of STIs poses an increasingly major public health threat, which can create physical and psychological harms and place additional demands on other parts of the NHS.

‘BASHH, alongside sector partners, has repeatedly called for a sexual health strategy for England; this must be a priority if our expert sexual health workforce are to effectively meet these growing and changing needs in sexual health.’

It comes as the UKHSA also warned healthcare professionals to be alert to the signs of syphilis amidst rising cases, which also saw a 9.4% jump in 2023.

The highest rates were among gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men, however, the largest proportional rise between 2022 and 2023 was in heterosexual individuals.

While the increase in gonorrhoea and syphilis diagnoses will in part be due to increases in testing, it may also be due to more transmission of these STIs within the population, UKHSA added.

This article first appeared on our sister publication Pulse.