ALT BASHH responds to the UKHSA provisional surveillance data which shows a decline in syphilis and gonorrhoea diagnoses in England.Commenting on the announcement, Dr Cara Saxon, BASHH President, said:"The UK continues to face significant sexual health challenges. Syphilis, once thought to have been largely eliminated in this country, has re-emerged in recent decades, against a wider backdrop of high STI rates, growing antimicrobial resistance, and sexual health services operating under unsustainable pressure...

ALT ..Today's findings, including the increasing provision of newer STI prevention strategies such as DoxyPEP for syphilis and the 4cMenB vaccine for gonorrhoea, are encouraging, but we have a lot to do. Declines in diagnoses among some groups such as gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men (GBMSM) are enormously important and welcome. If we can sustain this it is testament to our dedicated services and collaboration with communities for targeted action based on evidence of what works. But stable rates in other groups show that there is still not progress in reaching all. We see persistent inequalities, including among women, and this is borne out today as strongly as ever. It is critical that services have the resources and agility to continue to adapt and deliver STI prevention strategies where they are most needed...

ALT ..We see persistent inequalities, including among women, and this is borne out today as strongly as ever. It is critical that services have the resources and agility to continue to adapt and deliver STI prevention strategies where they are most needed. There is clear opportunity to achieve much more through greater investment and strategic emphasis on sexual health and the Government should expedite work on its new framework as a moment to refocus action and consolidate these trends. That would not only improve outcomes for individuals and communities but also help reduce pressure across the wider NHS."

ALT BASHH responds to NICE's draft recommendation not to approve lenacapavir for HIV prevention in the NHS in England. Dr Cara Saxon, BASHH President, said: "Every day, sexual health and HIV professionals support people who face significant barriers to accessing and using existing HIV prevention options. Lenacapavir could offer protection against HIV for six months from a single injection. This has the potential to be transformative for some people for whom current available options such as daily oral PrEP just simply aren’t viable...

ALT ...It could also enable us to reach people who are facing huge inequity and barriers to access, including women and people from marginalised communities. As it stands, sexual health professionals are unable to offer this HIV prevention option to patients they know would benefit from it. To end HIV transmissions in England, we need to make sure we are leveraging new technologies that help us to reach everyone who may be at risk. We urge all parties to come together quickly to find a solution and we will continue to work with partners to champion innovation that supports equitable access to prevention for all." Access the full statement via the BASHH website.

ALT BASHH Annual Conference 2027 7th - 9th June Winter Gardens, Blackpool BASHH logo

ALT UK Guidelines for the Medical and Laboratory Procurement and Use of Sperm, Egg and Embryo Donors Developed by a joint working group including representatives from Association of Reproductive and Clinical Scientists (ARCS) British Fertility Society (BFS) British Association for Sexual Health and HIV (BHIVA) British Association for Sexual Health & HIV (BASHH)