Gay and bisexual men are making up 79% of all syphilis cases in England and have seen a 37% rise in gonorrhea.

They also make up 58% of gonorrhea cases in the country – a total of 10,754 men were diagnosed with the bacteria, known as ‘the clap’, which causes burning pain during urination and discharge from the penis.

The new official figures, released today (5 June) come from government agency Public Health England (PHE).

They also found ‘men who have sex with men’ make up 17% of chlamydia cases, 11% of genital herpes diagnoses and 9% of all the genital warts diagnosed in sex health clinics.

PHE said in a statement: ‘Although partly due to increased testing in this population, ongoing high levels of unsafe sexual behavior probably contributed to this rise.’

Throat swab testing has helped doctors discover cases of gonorrhea which otherwise may have been missed.

But the figures do show a rise in diagnoses.

Among gay and bi men, gonorrhea has soared by 37%, chlamydia and genital warts are 8% higher and syphilis diagnoses have risen by 5%.

Gonorrhea in gay men has tripled since 2009.

Young heterosexuals, aged under 25, were found to be another high-risk group. But gay and bi men tend to keep having problems in their late 20s, 30s and even into their 50s.

Dr Gwenda Hughes, PHE head of Sexually Transmitted Infection surveillance, said: ‘There have been significant improvements in screening in recent years, particularly for gonorrhea and chlamydia among young adults and men who have sex with men, so we are diagnosing and treating more infections than ever before.

‘However, these data show too many people are continuing to have unsafe sex, put themselves at risk of STIs and the serious consequences associated with infection, including infertility.

‘Ongoing investment in programs to increase sexual health awareness, condom use and testing, particularly for groups at most risk, is vital.’

And Professor Kevin Fenton, PHE director of health and wellbeing, said: ‘Getting screened for HIV and STIs can lead to early diagnosis and treatment, as often these infections have no symptoms.

‘In addition, reducing the number of sexual partners and avoiding overlapping sexual relationships can reduce the risk of being infected with an STI.’

Stacey Adams, sexual health manager at The Lesbian and Gay Foundation in northwest England said: ‘From previous data sets, we can see rates have gone up in almost every STI between 2009 and 2012, regardless of sexuality.

‘Increased promotion, especially for at risk populations which include men who have sex with men, have resulted in increased numbers of people testing, therefore more infections are being found, and treated – which is a positive thing.

‘We urge all men who have sex with men to regularly test and ensure they know their HIV status, as well as having safer sex by using condoms.’