Sexually transmitted infections including gonorrhoea and syphilis reached record levels across Europe in 2024, according to new figures from the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC).
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The agency said both infections had climbed to their highest levels in more than a decade, warning that gaps in testing, prevention and awareness were contributing to the rise.
Gonorrhoea cases surged to 106,331 across participating European countries last year, marking a 303% increase since 2015. Syphilis cases also more than doubled over the same period, reaching 45,557.
Health officials warned that untreated infections can lead to serious long-term health problems, including infertility, chronic pain and damage to the heart or nervous system.
Sharp rise in infections
Bruno Ciancio, head of the ECDC’s Directly Transmitted and Vaccine-Preventable Diseases unit, said the increase in congenital syphilis cases was especially concerning.
Congenital syphilis occurs when the infection passes from a pregnant person to a newborn baby and can lead to lifelong complications.
The ECDC said congenital syphilis cases nearly doubled between 2023 and 2024.
Ciancio urged people to take simple preventive measures, including using condoms with new or multiple partners and getting tested if symptoms appear.
Symptoms of gonorrhoea can include pain, unusual discharge and inflammation of the genitals, although some people may show no symptoms at all.
Syphilis symptoms may include sores around the mouth or genitals, rashes on the hands, hair loss and flu-like illness. The symptoms can appear and disappear over time, making the infection difficult to detect in its early stages.
Spain reports highest totals
Among participating European countries, Spain recorded the highest number of confirmed cases for both infections in 2024.
The country reported 37,169 gonorrhoea cases and 11,556 syphilis infections.
The ECDC said men who have sex with men continued to be the group most disproportionately affected, showing the steepest long-term increases in both diseases.
However, the agency also noted significant rises in syphilis cases among heterosexual women of reproductive age.
While gonorrhoea and syphilis rose sharply, chlamydia remained the most commonly reported bacterial sexually transmitted infection overall.
A total of 213,443 chlamydia cases were recorded in 2024, although this represented a 6% decline compared with 2015.
UK figures remain separate
The UK has not contributed data to the ECDC study since leaving the European Union, but British health authorities publish separate annual statistics for United Kingdom.
According to figures released by the UK Health Security Agency in December, England recorded 71,802 gonorrhoea cases and 9,535 syphilis cases in 2024.
There were also 168,889 chlamydia diagnoses during the same period.
The UK introduced a gonorrhoea vaccination programme in 2025 after cases in England hit a record 85,000 in 2023.
The NHS advises that both gonorrhoea and syphilis can be prevented through consistent condom use and treated effectively with antibiotics if diagnosed early.
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Adapted by ASEAN Now. Source 22 May 2026
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