North West of England a hotspot for mycoplasma genitalium

It is a rising ‘global threat’, and according to a recent study by health experts at NowPatient, is most prevalent in certain regions across the country.

Ranking third in the list is the North West.

The study analysed STI data across England to reveal the areas and regions where certain infections are most prevalent.

Navin Khosla, pharmacist at NowPatient, said: "Mycoplasma genitalium, sometimes called MG or Mgen, is an STI that is transmitted by unprotected vaginal or anal sex.

"In most cases, it is symptomless or has similar symptoms to chlamydia, which can lead to the wrong diagnosis,"

"The symptoms include pain while urinating, peculiar discharge from either sex, pain in the stomach or pelvis, pain during or after sex, and unusual bleeding in women".

He continued: "This STI, though recently identified, can cause serious health conditions if not treated in time, including urethritis, pelvic inflammatory disease which affects women's fertility, and cervicitis.

"It is treated with antibiotics, however, there are concerns that Mgen could grow resistant to antibiotics due to it being misdiagnosed as chlamydia".

He emphasised on the importance of regular STI tests for individuals with multiple sexual partners or those engaging in unprotected sex.

The NowPatient study found London to have the highest diagnosis rate of Mycoplasma Genitalium in England, and the east with the second-highest count.

The third highest MG diagnosis rate was recorded in the North West region with Liverpool reporting the highest rate of Mycoplasma Genitalium diagnoses outside London.

While the London region recorded 3,123 new diagnoses, the East logged 815 new cases.

The North West diagnosed 849 new cases, translating to a rate of 11.44 per 100,000 people.

Notably, Liverpool had the seventh-highest overall, with a rate of 53.25 diagnoses per 100,000 people.