Shock rise in sexual diseases (From This Is Lancashire)

Shock rise in sexual diseases

6:27pm Thursday 17th May 2007 in

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GPs are being given extra training to help them treat patients with sexual health problems.

The move is part of plans for more GP surgeries to deal with cases instead of hospital clinics, as health services struggle to cope with a huge rise in infections across East Lancashire.

Medics in Burnley, Pendle, Rossendale, Hyndburn and Ribble Valley have been swamped by the number of new cases, according to the health ministry.

And many GPs also felt ill-prepared to diagnose patients so a new scheme, Sexual Health In Practice, was devised, offering extra training.

Around £170,000 has been earmarked by the Department of Health for the scheme, designed to tackle alarming rates of gonorrhoea and chlamydia across the area.

The project also focuses on sexual disease prevention, raising awareness of HIV and AIDS and where the victims of sexual assault should be referred.

It is hoped, if the scheme is a success, that fewer patients will have to visit genito-urinary clinics at Blackburn and Burnley hospitals.

Dr Hilary Waite, a family planning expert, said: "Training will enable both doctors and nurses in the primary care setting to update their sexual health knowledge and expertise.

"This will help us deal with the more common sexual health problems in primary care and help us work towards providing an improved service for patients."

Official figures show the number of gonorrhoea cases rocketed nearly tenfold, from 1995 to 2005, and chlamydia rates by just under 600 per cent.

Chlamydia was by far the most common condition -accounting for one out of two cases presented to East Lancashire doctors - and was most often seen among 16 to 19 year olds.

It is often referred to as a silent' disease as most sufferers will not show symptoms - but it can cause infertility in women and severe testicular problems in men.