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The latest Annual Epidemiological Reports from ECDC indicate a surge in bacterial sexually transmitted infections (STIs) across Europe. In 2024, notifications of gonorrhoea and syphilis, alongside congenital syphilis, reached their highest levels in over a decade, reflecting sustained transmission across multiple countries.
The data for 2024 show that gonorrhoea cases reached 106 331, representing a 303% increase since 2015. Syphilis cases more than doubled over the same period to 45 577 cases. Chlamydia remains the most frequently reported STI with 213 443 cases. Lymphogranuloma venereum (LGV) also continued to see ongoing transmission, with 3 490 reported cases.
Sexually transmitted infections have been on the rise for 10 years and reached record high levels in 2024. Untreated, these infections can cause severe complications, such as chronic pain and infertility and, in the case of syphilis, problems with the heart or nervous system. Most distressingly, between 2023 and 2024, we have seen a near doubling of congenital syphilis, where infections pass directly to newborns, leading to potentially lifelong complications’, says Bruno Ciancio, Head of Unit, Directly Transmitted and Vaccine-Preventable Diseases. 'Protecting your sexual health remains straightforward. Use condoms with new or multiple partners, and get tested if you have symptoms, such as pain, discharge or an ulcer’.
