Nearly 15,000 STIs diagnosed in North East as students urged to protect their sexual health

Nearly 15,000 sexually transmitted infections were diagnosed across the North East last year, prompting health leaders to target students with a new sexual health campaign as universities and colleges begin the new academic year.

Public health teams are encouraging young people arriving or returning to the region to use condoms, get tested regularly and take advantage of free and confidential sexual health services.

The latest figures show 14,831 new STI diagnoses were recorded among North East residents in 2025, highlighting the continuing demand for sexual health services across the region. Chlamydia remains a particular concern among younger people and can often be present without noticeable symptoms, meaning someone can have the infection and pass it to a sexual partner without knowing.

Health leaders are using the beginning of the academic year to reach students at a time when thousands of young adults are moving to new cities, meeting new people and beginning university or college life. The campaign will promote access to condoms and STI testing alongside information about contraception and reducing the risk of infection.

Sexual health services across the North East provide confidential advice, testing and treatment, with some services also allowing people to order testing kits to use at home. Regular testing is particularly important because several common STIs can cause few or no symptoms. Left untreated, some infections can lead to longer-term health complications, while early diagnosis also reduces the risk of passing an infection to somebody else.

The campaign comes amid wider concern about sexual health trends in England, including the continuing challenge posed by gonorrhoea and the re-emergence of syphilis over recent years.

Health leaders are particularly keen to challenge any embarrassment around accessing sexual health services, stressing that testing should be viewed as a normal part of looking after your health if you are sexually active.

The arrival of a new academic year provides an opportunity to put that message directly in front of thousands of students across the North East. With almost 15,000 new STI diagnoses recorded in the region in a single year, public health teams hope encouraging safer sex and regular testing now can prevent infections spreading further.

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