New data from the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) reveals a troubling trend in sexual health across the continent: gonorrhoea and syphilis have reached their highest levels in over a decade. With gonorrhoea cases soaring to 106,331 in 2024—a staggering 303% increase since 2015—and syphilis more than doubling to 45,557, public health officials are sounding alarms that go beyond simple infection rates.
Behind the Numbers: What’s Driving the Spike?
The numbers are stark, but the reasons behind them are complex. According to Bruno Ciancio, head of the ECDC’s Directly Transmitted and Vaccine-Preventable Diseases unit, the surge reflects ‘widening gaps in testing and prevention.’ This is not just about individual behavior; it points to systemic failures in sexual health education, access to affordable testing, and consistent condom use. While the agency calls for urgent action, the data also highlights how marginalized communities and even newborns are bearing the brunt.
Key Figures at a Glance
- Gonorrhoea: 106,331 cases in 2024, up 303% since 2015.
- Syphilis: 45,557 cases in 2024, more than double the 2015 level.
- Chlamydia: Still the most common bacterial STI, but cases fell 6% since 2015 to 213,443.
- Spain reported the highest numbers: 37,169 gonorrhoea cases and 11,556 syphilis cases in 2024.
Who Is Most Affected?
Men who have sex with men remain the most disproportionately affected group, with the steepest long-term rises. But the ECDC also notes a worrying increase in syphilis among heterosexual women of reproductive age. Perhaps most alarming is the near-doubling of congenital syphilis cases from 2023 to 2024, where infections pass from mother to newborn, leading to lifelong complications. This is a preventable tragedy that speaks to gaps in prenatal care and screening.
Meanwhile, the UK—no longer part of the ECDC surveillance since Brexit—released its own figures: 71,802 gonorrhoea cases and 9,535 syphilis cases in 2024, with chlamydia at 168,889. The UK launched a world-first gonorrhoea vaccine in 2025, following a record 85,000 cases in 2023. This development offers a glimpse of hope, but it also raises questions: why did it take so long, and will other countries follow suit?
A Broader Perspective: The Cost of Complacency
While the ECDC’s data is undeniably alarming, it’s worth stepping back to consider the broader context. Public health experts have long warned that declining investment in sexual health services, combined with stigma and misinformation, creates a perfect storm. In an era of dating apps and changing social norms, prevention messages can feel outdated. But the consequences are real: untreated syphilis can damage the heart and nervous system, while gonorrhoea can cause chronic pain and infertility. These are not abstract risks—they affect real people, their relationships, and their futures.
What’s missing from the conversation is a frank discussion about why testing rates remain low. Many people avoid testing due to embarrassment, cost, or simply not knowing where to go. The ECDC’s call for ‘urgent action’ must translate into accessible, no-judgment clinics and better public education—not just more statistics.
What Can You Do?
The basics still work. Condoms remain the most effective defense, especially with new or multiple partners. Symptoms of gonorrhoea—pain, unusual discharge, genital inflammation—can be mild or absent, so regular testing is crucial. Syphilis symptoms are often subtle: sores around the genitals or mouth, rashes, hair loss, or flu-like feelings. Both are curable with antibiotics, but only if caught early. If you’re sexually active, make testing a routine part of your health check-up, just like a blood pressure reading.
The bottom line: Europe’s STI crisis is a mirror reflecting where our public health systems have fallen short. But it’s also a reminder that each of us has a role to play—by staying informed, using protection, and reducing the stigma around sexual health conversations.
