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Written question asked by Andrew Gwynne (Labour) on Thursday, 17 March 2022, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Tuesday, 22 March 2022 (named day). It was answered by Maria Caulfield (Conservative) on Tuesday, 22 March 2022 on behalf of the Department of Health and Social Care.


Sexually Transmitted Infections: Disease Control

Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the current reproduction number or R-rate is of (a) chlamydia, (b) gonorrhoea and (c) syphilis.

Answer

The current reproduction number or ‘R’ of chlamydia, gonorrhoea and syphilis is not known, as R number estimates for sexually transmitted infections (STIs) require behavioural information which cannot be easily measured.

The calculation of R for a typical STI differs from many other infections, in that it does not depend only on the population density of susceptible people, but rather the transmission probability per sexual partner and the number of sexual partners during a period of time, as well as the time spent in the infectious state. The value of R differs between different sexual networks and groups at higher risk of STIs as well as over time and cannot be generalised to the overall population.


Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
141929
Session
2021-22
Subjects
Disease control Sexually transmitted infections Chlamydia Gonorrhoea Syphilis
Link
View this Written question on www.parliament.uk