The area of Nottinghamshire where cases of 'Biblical' disease have tripled
Cases of a sexually transmitted infection (STI) have more than tripled across Nottinghamshire since 2012 and health officials have warned that it could become "untreatable" as it becomes resistant to antibiotics. Nottingham is the fourth most likely place to catch gonorrhoea after London, Liverpool and Brighton.
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) says new provisional STI surveillance data shows a rise in antibiotic-resistant gonorrhoea cases, including extensively drug-resistant (XDR) strains. While most gonorrhoea infections can be effectively treated, certain resistant strains, particularly ceftriaxone-resistant gonorrhoea, present a much greater challenge.
In 2023 - the latest full-year data available - there were a record 85,000 cases of all strains of gonorrhoea in England, the highest number in more than 100 years. Of those, 953 cases were in Nottingham - a rise from 259 in 2012.
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Similar rises have been seen across the rest of Nottinghamshire with Mansfield and Bassetlaw seeing more than a four-fold increase and Newark and Sherwood a massive rise with more five times the cases in 2023 compared to 2012 - up from 19 to 102 and the same in Rushcliffe up from 16 cases to 83 in the same period.
As the primary antibiotic used to treat gonorrhoea - an ancient STI referenced in the Bible and early Greek and Roman writing - resistance to ceftriaxone can make infections difficult to heal.
Since it was first detected in England in 2015, 42 cases of ceftriaxone-resistant gonorrhoea have been reported. Fifteen of these cases were XDR, which means that they were resistant to ceftriaxone and alternative treatment options.
Although numbers remain low, cases are being detected more frequently. Thirteen cases were diagnosed last year and four in 2025 so far, compared to 16 cases in the previous two years combined.
XDR cases are also rising. Nine cases have been reported in the last fifteen months, compared to five in the two years to December 2023.
Dr Katy Sinka, consultant epidemiologist and head of the STI section at UKHSA, said: "Gonorrhoea is becoming increasingly resistant to antibiotics, which could make it untreatable in future. If left untreated, it can cause serious problems like pelvic inflammatory disease and infertility.
"The best way to stop STIs is by using a condom. If you've had condomless sex with a new or casual partner, get tested, whatever your age, gender or sexual orientation. This includes when you are having sex abroad. Early detection not only protects your health but prevents transmission to others. Many STIs show no symptoms, which is why regular testing is so important. Testing is quick, free and confidential."
The UKHSA says most antibiotic-resistant cases are linked to travel to or from the Asia-Pacific region, where ceftriaxone resistance is common. While transmission within England has been limited so far, the increasing number of cases in recent years is concerning as it increases the chance of wider spread and treatment challenges.
Nationally, the infection rate - the number of cases per 100,000 people, which measures the risk of catching a disease - has trebled from 50.3 infections per 100,000 people in 2012 to 149 per 100,000 in 2023. That's the equivalent of about one in 670 people in England being diagnosed with gonorrhoea.
In Nottingham, the rate of infection has risen from 84.2 per 100,000 people to 290.1, with similar increases across the rest of the county or higher pro rata in the case of Mansfield which has increased from 21.9 to 94.5 per 100,000 people and in Bassetlaw which has seen an increase from 21 to 87 per 100,000 head of population.
The latest regional data on gonorrhoea infections shows that the risk of catching this ancient STI is highest in parts of London, particularly in Lambeth, where 4,101 diagnoses of gonorrhoea were made in 2023. That's a rate of 1,295 infections per 100,000 people or the equivalent of about one in 77 people catching gonorrhoea.
Outside the capital, the risk of catching gonorrhoea was greatest in Liverpool (302 infections per 100,000 people), Brighton (292), Nottingham (290), and Manchester (276).
This is the increase in cases across Nottinghamshire from 2012 -2023:
AREA
2012
2023Nottingham
259
953
Ashfield
53
113
Bassetlaw
21
87
Broxtowe
36
86
Gedling
45
124
Mansfield
23
105
Newark and Sherwood
19
102
Rushcliffe
16
83
You can see the cases and rate of gonorrhoea where you live, and how that has changed over the last decade, using our interactive map.
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