SEXUALLY transmitted infections were diagnosed among 1,186 people in St Helens last year, according to latest figures.

A report that went before council public health chiefs also showed that 61 per cent of those affected were young people aged between 15 and 24.

The figure leaves St Helens positioned 138 out of 326 councils for rates of new STIs.

The sexual health strategy 2015 to 2018 went before a meetings of St Helens Health and Wellbeing Board.

The report said that “reinfection with an STI is a marker of persistent risky behaviour”. In St Helens an estimated 7.7 per cent of women and 7 per cent of men diagnosed with new STIs between 2009 and 2013 were reinfected within 12 months.

This compares nationally over the same period with 6.9 per cent of woman and 8.8 per cent of men.

In 2013 there were five new cases of HIV which was below the national average. The overall rate of new STIs had decreased from 2012 however chlamydia remained the most commonly diagnosed infection.

A reduction strategy will include prioritising prevention awareness and targeting services where they are needed the most and create a fully integrated system including social care, the police and voluntary groups.

Wider issues which can determine sexual health habits, including poverty, social exclusion and substance abuse, will also be examined.