00:00Health officials in Liverpool say they're seeing encouraging progress in tackling sexually transmitted infections,
00:07with new figures showing a significant fall in diagnosis across the city.
00:12Latest data shows a 17.8% reduction in STI cases, which health leaders say is well above the national
00:19decrease of 8.7%.
00:21In total, there were 954 fewer diagnoses recorded, following on from a previous year-on-year fall of 21%
00:31between 2023 and 2024.
00:34Liverpool City Council's public health team says the reductions come despite only a small drop in testing levels,
00:41suggesting the fall is being driven by reduced transmission rather than simply fewer people coming for checks.
00:48Professor Matt Ashton, Director of Public Health at Liverpool City Council,
00:52described the figures as encouraging and said they reflect the work of services and communities across the city.
00:59However, he warned sexually transmitted infections continue to disproportionately affect some groups,
01:05including people under 25, gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men.
01:10Health officials are now urging people not to become complacent,
01:13saying sustained testing is essential to maintaining the downward trend.
01:17Public health officials say the combination of falling infection rates and accessible testing services
01:21represent real progress, but they emphasise continued engagement from residents
01:26will be key to keeping numbers down in the long term.
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