Europe is dealing with a full-blown sexual health crisis as cases of gonorrhea and syphilis skyrocket to unprecedented levels, shocking new data show.
The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) revealed the continent is in the grips of a dirty STI explosion not seen in over a decade.
Gonorrhea cases across Europe hiked a staggering 303% since 2015, clocking in at 106,331 painful infections, while syphilis cases more than doubled over the same period, topping more than 45,550 cases.
Spain ranks as Europe’s hotspot, racking up 37,169 gonorrhea cases and 11,556 syphilis infections in 2024, according to the BBC.
Meanwhile, congenital syphilis — where the dangerous infection passes directly from pregnant mothers to their newborns — nearly doubled in participating European countries between 2023 and 2024.
Health officials are blaming “widening gaps” in testing and lack of condom use for the nasty surge.
“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 ECDC’s Directly Transmitted and Vaccine-Preventable Diseases.
“Protecting your sexual health remains straightforward. Use condoms with new or multiple partners, and get tested if you have symptoms, such as pain, discharge or an ulcer.”
Experts note that while men who have sex with men remain the most disproportionately affected group, heterosexual women of childbearing age are also seeing a terrifying spike.
The UK even rolled out a world-first vaccine in 2025 to combat the crisis after the British government counted a record 85,000 cases in 2023.
Gonorrhea symptoms include pain and unusual discharge or inflammation of the genitals; in some cases, symptoms never arise. Syphilis can cause sores on the genitals and mouth, hand rashes, hair loss and flu-like symptoms.
Most STI transmission is prevented by using protection and antibiotic treatment.
