The rising numbers suggest a degree of complacency.
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Antibiotics are used to treat gonorrhoea. Image: Petteri Sopanen / Yle
Gonorrhoea infections are spreading faster than before in Finland, with cases likely to surpass 2,000 this year. Young adults are driving much of the increase.
Finland reported 1,854 gonorrhoea cases in 2024, and this year the total could exceed 2,000, according to Eija Hiltunen-Back, a specialist in dermatology and venereology at Helsinki University Hospital (HUS).
“Infections have climbed steadily since the post-pandemic period, following a wider European trend,” Hiltunen-Back explained.
Figures from the national infectious disease register show the upward swing began in 2022.
Cases concentrated among men
The infection has shifted to younger age groups, where multiple sexual partners are more common, facilitating the spread, according to Hiltunen-Back.
As in previous years, gonorrhoea cases in 2024 were concentrated among men.
“Two-thirds of cases were diagnosed in men,” said Markku Broas, an infectious disease specialist for the Lapland wellbeing services county.
“Women’s share is, however, increasing faster, especially among 20–25-year-olds,” he added.
Broas and Hiltunen-Back both said the rise in gonorrhoea infections is evident across Finland. Differences between welfare regions may reflect variations in testing practices.
“If a person does not consider themselves a carrier, they may not go for testing,” said Hiltunen-Back, who noted that an infection can be asymptomatic, though symptoms can also be severe.
“Intense burning and discharge from the urethra or vagina often drive patients to visit a clinic,” Broas noted.
Efforts to curb gonorrhoea are now underway across the continent.
“Authorities are trying to identify and understand the reasons behind the rise in cases,” Hiltunen-Back added.