The rise of STI’s in the UK are affecting the BAME community

Some of the highest overall rates of sexually transmitted infections has been reported in Black Caribbean and Black non-Caribbean/non-African populations.

Credit: Pixabay / kerryank

Terrence Higgins Trust and British Association for Sexual Health and HIV released a report that calls on the government to act for better sexual health services and sex education in schools.

“We know that these ethnic groups are less informed about STI’s, recognising their symptoms and seeking care. In London, there's a lot of sexual health clinics but it's difficult to access care. On the bottom of the spectrum tends to be black non-Caribbean, non-African groups and Asians”, says Amber Champion, a medical student and president of KCL Reproductive Health Society.

According to the report, every 70 seconds someone in England is diagnosed with a new STI and nearly half of all STI’s are in people under 25.

Korianne Muya identifies as Black-African British and works as a healthcare assistant in endoscopy. She says: “Once you’re a certain age, parents expect you to know [about sexual health]. There's a stigma attached to it in the home. HIV is sometimes mentioned because that's a big thing within the black community but things like gonorrhoea or chlamydia are not spoken about”.

The report claims that the government has cut sexual health spending in England by 25% since 2014.

Young people and BAME communities in the UK are at the forefront of catching STI’s and investigating this trend must be prioritised.