Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the factors causing increased rates of sexually transmitted infections among people aged 45 and over.
Several factors are likely to have contributed to the rise in sexually transmitted infections (STI) diagnoses among those aged 45 years and over in recent years. These factors will have contributed to the rise in STI diagnoses seen in all age groups.
More STI testing in sexual health clinics and improved diagnostic tests will have led to more infections being detected. However, it is also likely that increased unsafe sexual behaviour i.e. sex with new or casual partners without using condoms, has led to more people becoming infected. Among older age groups the biggest rise in STI diagnoses has been seen among men who have sex with men.