England hit by surging medieval disease as doctor says 'easily passed'

The UK is experiencing a surge in cases of a medieval disease which reached an all-time high - as a top doctor issued a stark warning. According to latest stats, there has been a rise in the sexually transmitted disease gonorrhoea.

Sufferers of gonorrhoea experience painful symptoms and a notorious yellow or green discharge. There was a 7.5 per cent increase in cases in England from 2022 to 2023, according to figures released by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), reports MirrorOnline.

This jumped from 79,268 cases to a staggering 85,223. Since data collection began, this marks the highest figure recorded. And between 2021 and 2022, the UK witnessed a 50.3 per cent leap in diagnoses. Cases soared from to 82,592.

READ MORE: Sedgley man who hired out donkeys without a license slapped with £500 fine

Get breaking news on BirminghamLive WhatsApp, click the link to join

This was the most significant number of recorded diagnoses in any year since 1918, with the uptick part of a broader rise in sexually transmitted infections (STIs) across England. There were 401,800 new STI diagnoses in 2023 alone, up by 4.7 per cent from the previous year.

Sexual health guru and GP at LloydsPharmacy Online Doctor, Dr Bhavini Shah, has sounded the alarm on the importance of safe sex practices. She warns: "Anyone who is sexually active can catch gonorrhoea. But you're particularly at risk if you regularly change sexual partners or do not use adequate barrier methods of contraception, like condoms, when having sex.

"Gonorrhoea is easily passed between people through unprotected vaginal, anal and oral sex and sharing vibrators and other sex toys. It can be prevented through barrier methods of contraception. This means the use of condoms or dental dams (a square of latex or plastic used in oral sex). You should also wash and cover sex toys with a new condom when sharing them."

Dr Shah outlined some of the key symptoms to watch out for, as signs of gonorrhoea usually appear within two weeks of infection, reports Gloucestershire Live. She explained: "In women, common symptoms include an unusual vaginal discharge (thin or watery and green or yellow in colour); pain or burning when peeing; pain or tenderness in the abdominal area; bleeding between periods, heavier periods and bleeding after sex.