High risk groups

The data below are taken from the following sources:  

• Implementation of HIV PrEP in Scotland: Second Year Report  
• HIV diagnoses in Scotland - summary report to 31 December 2019  
• Syphilis in Scotland 2019: update  
• Genital chlamydia and gonorrhoea infection in Scotland: laboratory diagnoses 2010 - 2019 

• Genital chlamydia – 17,336 diagnoses were reported to HPS in 2019. This is a 6% increase from 2018 (16,338).  The majority of diagnoses (57%) were in women, however, the highest number of diagnoses among men was recorded in 10 years (7,489). In 2019, 64% (11,086) of all diagnoses were in young people aged under 25. 
• Gonorrhoea – 3,776 diagnoses were reported to HPS in 2019. This is a 17% increase on the number reported in 2018 and is the largest number recorded in a decade. The majority of cases (68%) were in men. In women, a diagnosis of gonorrhoea is mainly associated with a younger age group, with 77% of diagnoses in those aged less than 25 years. For men, 37.5% of diagnoses in 2019 were in those aged under 25 years. 
• Infectious syphilis – 369 diagnoses were reported to HPS in 2019, a 20% decrease from 2018 (455). The majority of diagnoses were recorded among men who have sex with men (MSM) (86%). 
• HIV - 326 cases of HIV were reported in 2019, a slight increase in the number reported in 2018 (320). This includes those newly diagnosed and those previously diagnosed but newly reported in Scotland. Of those newly diagnosed (167), 40% were among men who have sex with men (MSM), 37% were heterosexually acquired. Whereas 16% (28) of the total reported cases in 2019 were among people who inject drugs. The number of first ever HIV diagnoses has been decreasing steadily with the total in 2019 being the lowest recorded in the past ten years. 
• PrEP: Of the 3,354 individuals prescribed PrEP at least once over the two-year period (2018-2019), almost all were male (99%, 3,317) and, of these, 98% (3,266/3,317) were men who have sex with men (MSM). Those aged 20-29 at their first prescription made up the largest proportion of patients (41%) with almost a third aged 50 or above (28%). Around a quarter of those prescribed PrEP, attended sexual health services for the first time, or the first time in the previous decade, indicating that a proportion of non-attending individuals at high risk of sexual acquisition of HIV have engaged with services since its implementation. 

Further discussion of this topic can be found on the STI page on the Health Protection Scotland (HPS) website.