Research and analysis

HPR volume 13 issue 30: news (23 August)

Updated 20 December 2019

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This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/health-protection-report-volume-13-2019/hpr-volume-13-issue-29-news-23-august

Measles in England: an update

Public Health England (PHE) has published a blog, Measles in England, explaining the background to the loss of WHO “measles elimination” status in the UK, based on the increase in cases seen in 2018 compared with previous years.

A press release was issued covering measures being taken to improve vaccine uptake. PHE has warned that one in seven 5-year-olds may not be fully up-to-date with some routine immunisations, with the figure rising to around one in four children in London.

Latest data on laboratory-confirmed cases (a report for the second quarter of 2019) are due to be published in HPR shortly.

Health Matters on Preventing STIs

The latest edition of PHE’s Health Matters, a resource for non-specialist health professionals, provides a comprehensive review of current public health activity related to sexually transmitted infections in England, encompassing national level surveillance and epidemiology, and local level testing and prevention activities [1].

The 5 most common STIs, gonorrhoea, chlamydia, syphilis, genital herpes and genital warts, are covered in detail. Gonorrhoea showed the greatest year-on-year rise in incidence of all STIs in 2018; chlamydia remains the most prevalent STI, accounting for 49% of all diagnoses in 2018.

Other cross-STI themes covered include:

  • regional inequalities
  • outbreak management
  • the impact of higher-risk sexual behaviours on incidence
  • economic resources available for sexual health services
  • the upcoming statutory requirement for relationship and sexual health education in schools

Links to current guidance are provided throughout.

Reference

  1. GOV.UK (19 August). Health matters: preventing STIs.

Infection and vaccine coverage reports in this issue

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