Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) including gonorrhoea and syphilis have hit record levels in Europe, according to new data.

The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) said both diseases had reached their highest levels in over 10 years in 2024.

Gonorrhoea hit 106,331 cases – a 303% increase since 2015 – while syphilis more than doubled in the same period to 45,557.

The health agency said “widening gaps in testing and prevention” were partly behind the surge in transmission, and called for urgent action.

“These infections can cause severe complications, such as chronic pain and infertility and, in the case of syphilis, problems with the heart or nervous system,” said Bruno Ciancio, the head of the agency’s Directly Transmitted and Vaccine-Preventable Diseases unit.

He said congenital syphilis cases – “where infections pass directly to newborns, leading to potentially lifelong complications” – had nearly doubled from 2023 to 2024.

“Protecting your sexual health remains straightforward. Use condoms with new or multiple partners, and get tested if you have symptoms.”

Spain had the highest number of confirmed gonorrhoea and syphilis cases of the participating European countries in 2024, at 37,169 and 11,556.

The ECDC said men who had sex with men remained the most disproportionately affected group, showing the steepest long-term rises in gonorrhoea and syphilis.

It also reported that heterosexual women of a reproductive age saw large increases in syphilis.

While chlamydia was still the most commonly reported bacterial infection overall, cases had fallen 6% since 2015 to 213,443.

The UK has not been part of the research since Brexit, but the government releases its own figures for England each year.

According to a UK Health Security Agency report published in December, there were 71,802 gonorrhoea cases in England in 2024, and 9,535 syphilis cases.

There were 168,889 chlamydia diagnoses during the same 12 months.

The UK rolled out a gonorrhoea vaccine in 2025 after it hit a record 85,000 cases in 2023.

Gonorrhoea symptoms can include pain, unusual discharge and inflammation of the genitals – but in some cases no symptoms emerge.

The NHS says it can be avoided by the proper use of condoms and by accepting the vaccine if offered.

Syphilis symptoms include sores around the genitals and mouth, a rash on the hands, hair loss and flu-like symptoms. They are often hard to notice at first, and can come and go over time.

Like gonorrhoea, it can be avoided by using condoms and treated with antibiotics. Both can cause serious problems if left untreated.

People living close to the epicentre of an Ebola outbreak which has killed 131 people have expressed their fear, as a World Health Organization (WHO) representative warned cases may be spreading faster than originally thought.

One man in the Democratic Republic of Congo’s Ituri province, the epicentre of the outbreak, said infected people were dying “very fast”, and added: “Ebola has tortured us.

”

Officials said more than 513 cases were suspected in DR Congo as of Tuesday, while one person has died in neighbouring Uganda.

The WHO’s Dr.

Anne Ancia said that the more the agency investigates the outbreak, the clearer it becomes that cases have spread to other areas.

Modelling by the London-based MRC Centre for Global Infectious Disease Analysis released on Monday suggested there had been “substantial” under-detection, and that it could not rule out there had already been more than 1,000 cases.

The study suggested that the current outbreak is “larger than currently ascertained” and that its “true magnitude remains uncertain”.

A man who spoke to journalists and identified himself as Bigboy said people are “really scared” and doing what they can to protect themselves.

He said locals are taking precautions such as washing hands with clean water, but added that he wished they could get access to other protective supplies such as face masks.

Another Ituri local, Alfred Giza, said people in the community are aware of the threat and waiting to receive face masks to protect themselves, but that he would not know what to do if a family member or friend contracted the disease.

The Red Cross warned that Ebola can escalate quickly if cases are not identified early, communities lack information and health systems are overwhelmed, adding that “we are seeing all those conditions” in the current outbreak.

On Tuesday, DR Congo President Félix Tshisekedi called for “calm” and urged Congolese citizens to remain vigilant, after holding a crisis meeting on Monday evening.

WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, who declared the outbreak an international emergency last week, said he was “deeply concerned about the scale and speed of the epidemic”.

It is feared the outbreak may have been ongoing for several weeks before it was first detected on 24 April.

There is no vaccine for the strain of Ebola virus fuelling the latest rise in cases, but the WHO is evaluating whether other drugs may provide protection.

Ancia said DR Congo’s Ituri province was a “much unsecured area with lots of movement of population”, making it difficult for the agency to investigate and help control the disease.

She continued: “The more we investigate this outbreak, the more we realise that it has already spread at least a little bit across borders and also in other provinces.”

The outbreak has spread to the province of South Kivu, where the population has been affected by a humanitarian crisis for many years, she added.

There has also been a case in eastern DR Congo’s biggest city, Goma, which has a population of around 850,000 people and is under the control of Rwandan-backed rebels.

High levels of insecurity in several provinces mean people move around often, increasing the risk and spread of the virus, she said.

Several African countries are taking precautions by tightening border screenings and preparing health facilities. Neighbouring Rwanda has also closed its borders with DR Congo. Uganda has told people to avoid hugging and shaking hands.

An American citizen, believed to be missionary group doctor Peter Stafford, is being evacuated from DR Congo after developing symptoms over the weekend.

Germany’s health ministry told the BBC a US citizen was being taken to the country for treatment.

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said it was working to evacuate at least six other Americans who were exposed.

WHO and other agencies are working with governments and communities to try to stop the spread of the virus, urging residents to follow preventative measures and report to the nearest health facility if they experience any symptoms.

Ebola is caused by a virus and initially causes symptoms similar to the flu, with fever, headache and tiredness.

As the disease progresses, vomiting and diarrhoea develop and it can lead to organ failure. Some, but not all, patients develop internal and external bleeding.

The virus spreads from one person to another by contact with infected bodily fluids such as blood or vomit.

The Bundibugyo strain fuelling this rise in cases is rare, and has previously only caused two outbreaks, when it killed about a third of those infected.

Between 2014 and 2016, more than 28,600 people were infected by Ebola in West Africa, the largest outbreak of the virus since its discovery in 1976.

It was caused by the Zaire strain, for which there is an approved vaccine.

The disease spread to a number of countries in West Africa and beyond, including Guinea, Sierra Leone, the US, UK and Italy, killing 11,325 people.

Transport operators in Kenya have suspended their nationwide strike following talks with the government over rising fuel prices.

The operators said the suspension will remain in place until next Tuesday to allow for further negotiations with the government.

The move comes after the nationwide strike, which brought the capital Nairobi and other cities to a standstill, entered a second day on Tuesday.

At least four people were killed and 30 injured in Monday’s protests, with more than 700 arrested nationwide, according to the authorities.

On Tuesday, Interior Minister Kipchumba Murkomen said the deal to end the strike came after consultations with public transport representatives, and negotiations “at a higher level” would be conducted within the next week.

“We have had a breakthrough not because we are satisfied, but because we want to give negotiations a chance,” said Edwin Mukabane, the national chairman of the Federation of Public Transport Sector.

“If this is not taken seriously within the seven days, the strike will be back on,” he added

Major roads in Nairobi were still largely empty on Tuesday morning with businesses shut and schools closed.

Like the previous day, many Kenyans were forced to walk to their destinations, although a small number of public transport vehicles reportedly resumed services on some routes.

Police were patrolling parts of the city to maintain security amid reports of protesters blocking some routes.

Police urged demonstrators to remain peaceful, and not to loot and destroy properties.

The Directorate of Criminal Investigations said investigations into Monday’s demonstrations were ongoing, with many of the suspects already arraigned in court.

Kenyan rights group Vocal Africa denounced “the use of lethal force by law enforcement”.

The state-funded Kenya National Commission on Human Rights (KNCHR) called for immediate investigations into the violence and destruction of property, and urged the police to exercise restraint.

In the coastal city of Mombasa, a sense of normality was reported to have returned, with public transport services resuming.

On Monday, groups representing the transport sector held a meeting with the government.

Energy Minister Opiyo Wandayi announced they had agreed to reduce the price of diesel, which had risen to a high of 242 shillings ($1.8; £1.4).

The energy regulator subsequently reduced its cost by 10 shillings while retaining the cost of petrol at 214 shillings.

The reduction, however, fell short of protesters’ demands and the transport sector representatives insisted the strike would continue.

At the end of a subsequent meeting on Tuesday morning, Wandayi said the government would continue to be “sensitive to the plight of petrol consumers” and thanked the transport operators for agreeing to suspend the strike.

The operators are calling for a fuel price cut of up to 46 shillings, to levels last seen before the US-Israel war with Iran that began on 28 February.

Like many other African nations, Kenya relies on fuel from the Gulf, which has been disrupted by the conflict.

Although a ceasefire has been declared, prices remain high as the Strait of Hormuz, where a fifth of the global oil supply passes through, remains blocked.

Last month, the government cut VAT on fuel from 16% to 8% until July but there have been calls for it to do more.