NYC Pride Parade
“The increases in syphilis infections that we see across Europe, as well as other countries around the world, are a result of several factors such as people having sex without condoms and multiple sexual partners, combined with a reduced fear of acquiring HIV.”
(The Christian Institute) The number of people in the UK with sexually transmitted diseases has risen rapidly in the last 10 years.
Cases of gonorrhea tripled between 2007 and 2017, while syphilis cases more than doubled over the same period of time.
The UK has the second highest rate of syphilis among men in Europe, and experts believe the rise is connected to homosexual sex.
PrEP
The report on syphilis, by the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), suggests the rise is a result of gay men engaging in riskier, unprotected sex with more partners.
It said this was impacted by PrEP – a pill that reduces the risk of HIV infection.
Experts say that many homosexual men who take PrEP are no longer concerned about the virus, and so engage in more risky sexual behaviour.
Research