With the highest population out of anyone on the list, a buzzing nightlife scene, and our unquestionable Manc charm, you might expect us to make the top 10… and you’d be right, as Manchester has ranked in 4th place as one of the most infected areas, with 771 new diagnoses per 100,000 people.
That’s not far from 1% of our 550,000 Mancunians diagnosed recently.
To put that in perspective, that’s 18 people of a sold-out Albert Hall, 168 of the crowd at the AO Arena and 427 fans on a matchday at the Etihad Stadium.
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Leading the way for most recorded cases is Lincoln, with approximately 2% of its just over 100,000 population diagnosed, and it seems the East Midlands proved to be a bit of a hub for the STI, as nearby Nottingham and Ashfield both placed within the top six.
Manchester has been named one of the ‘chlamydia capitals’ of the UK / Credit: PickPik
The North West is never far from the top of a table in anything, and in this case, it’s Liverpool flying the chlamydia flag for the region, finishing in second place, as the port city just down the ship canal saw 4,191 STI diagnoses in 2023 – which is far higher than first-place Lincoln, but its much larger population resulted in a lower overall rate.
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London is obviously in a league of their own, as the capital’s numbers are so impressive (or unimpressive, shall we say) that even their individual boroughs are far exceeding major cities, with Lambeth, Southwark, and Hackney not only being the highest in London, but also the UK, with all reporting over 3% of residents to have been infected.
Chlamydia is by far the most common STI in England, accounting for just over half of all infections, and this is more than double that of the next most common STI – which is gonorrhoea (if you wanted to know).
Chlamydia is by far the most common STI in England / Credit: shawnanggg (via Unsplash) | PickPik
Navin Khosla, who is a pharmacist at NowPatient – the company that has released these shocking new stats, has commented on the signs and symptoms of chlamydia and what you should do if you think you have the STI: “Chlamydia is transmitted through unprotected sex and is particularly common in sexually active teenagers and young adults, and it is recommended that those age groups should take a test once a year, and or when they have sex with new or casual partners.
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“Most people with chlamydia do not notice any symptoms and therefore do not know they have it, however, there are symptoms to keep an eye out for:
Pain when urinating
Unusual discharge from the vagina, penis or bottom
In women, stomach pains, bleeding after sex and bleeding between periods
In men, pain and swelling in the testicles
“If you are experiencing any of these symptoms, or think you are at risk of having an STI, contact your GP for an appointment, or visit a community contraceptive service or local genitourinary medicine (GUM) clinic to get tested.”
We are always looking out for you at The Manc, so take our advice, and if we’re back in the top 10 for 2024, you can know what to keep an eye on and stay protected.
Featured Image – Pxhere
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Aldi launches UK’s cheapest Valentine’s dine-in meal deal for just £2.99 per person
Emily Sergeant
Aldi has launched the UK’s cheapest dine-in meal deal ahead of Valentine’s Day, and prices start at just £2.99 per person.
With only a week of January left, Valentine’s Day is right around the corner now, and that means restaurants across Greater Manchester are likely already getting booked up by couples keen to celebrate their love on the special day.
But for those keen to keep things on a budget, there’s always the supermarket meal deal, of course.
M&S tend to be the heavy-hitters when it comes to Valentine’s dine-in deals, with other retailers like Tesco, Morrisons, and Sainsbury’s also proving popular in recent years too, and many having already announced their menus for 2025 too – but now, there’s a new rival on the block and, apparently, it’s the cheapest you can get.
Aldi says its Valentine’s Day range is “a match made in heaven” for those looking to host date night at home this year.
Aldi is launching the UK’s cheapest Valentine’s meal deal for just £2.99 per person / Credit: Simon Hadley (via Aldi UK)
With prices starting from just £2.99 per person, there’s everything from succulent seafood and steaks, to delicious desserts and drinks on the lineup this year – with shoppers guaranteed to be “pulling on those heart strings, not the purse strings”.
The cheapest meal deal combination on the menu this year includes Aldi’s Specially Selected Heart Shaped Pizza, available in either classic margherita or spicy pepperoni, for just £2.99, which pairs perfectly with the Valentine’s Day Mini Heart Shaped Garlic Bread topped with mozzarella cheese for £1.49, and finished off with the sweet treat of Pink Mini Heart Pancakes, also for £1.49.
If you stick to just these three food courses, then this combo will only set you back £5.97 all together, but you can also choose to add bubbles onto the deal for under a fiver too.
A sneak peak at some of the options on the menu this year / Credit: Aldi
Some of the other options for mains include the Nduja-style Bacon Wrapped Chicken Breasts, two different Specially Selected Heart Shaped Pasta dishes, Duck Breasts with Plum & Hoisin Sauce, Gastro Wagyu Pies, and even Wagyu lasagnes, as well as plenty of choice for vegetarians and vegans.
Options for starters and sides this year include things like Gastro Wagyu Triple Cooked Chips, and two different Specially Selected Mac & Cheese dishes.
And when it comes to desserts, those with a sweet tooth can choose from options such as the Tear and Share Cookie with a milk chocolate dip, Specially Selected Cheesecake Slices, and even a new Vegan Caramelised Biscuit Heart Sponge Pudding to finish things off.
Aldi’s Valentine’s range is available in stores from 10 February, so you can get the goods in just in time for the big day itself.
Featured Image – Aldi
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The reason why Stockport station has been temporarily renamed to ‘Scottport’
Danny Jones
Anyone passing through Stockport station this morning may have been a bit confused and potentially panicked that they got on the wrong train after seeing the name ‘Scottport’ out the window.
But fear not, they arrived at their destinations as intended and it wasn’t just a badly spelt new sign either – here’s why…
This Monday (27 January) was her replacement’s first day at work and if you haven’t already put two and two together, we’ll happily walk you the rest of the way there.
With fellow radio veteran Scott Mills being chosen as her replacement, the Eastleigh-born presenter made his debut as the new Breakfast Show host to kick off not only a new week but a new era – and to mark the occasion, Stockport railway station has changed its name for Scottport for the day.
As far as we know, the former Radio 1 has no other connection to Greater Manchester or SK in particular, but the route does connect the BBC’s Broadcasting House in the capital to their Northern hub in MediaCityUK, Salford Quays.
Having stepped away from Radio 1 back in 2022 a whopping 24 years, Mills previously replaced Steve Wright in the Afternoon on Radio 2.
The 51-year-old stood in for Ball back in September 2024 after she took a few weeks off which looks to have proven a more than worthy trial shift as he now takes over the early morning slot full-time.
Speaking from the Radio 2 helm for the first time, Mills began by saying: “As a radio presenter and a radio fan all my life, I’m still finding it quite hard to process that this is happening, if I’m honest.
“If I think too much about the previous occupiers of this show it becomes mind-blowing to me for a kid who wanted to be on the radio, but wasn’t sure he had the self-confidence to be able to actually do it.”
This, of course, isn’t the first time a similar rail-related PR stunt like this has been carried out as Brighton train station famously changed its name to ‘Blyton’ last year as it welcomed back 14-year-old Paralympian, Bly Twomey, following her double bronze medal success.
Meanwhile, Trevor Nelson (who presented in the evenings from Monday to Thursday) will now replace Mills as the presenter of the 2-4pm weekday afternoon show from today onwards.
Not everyone has welcomed the change, however, as many listeners switched off within minutes of the latter’s first show after taking issue with his first song choice: ‘Rock DJ’ by Robbie Williams, who later came on the phone to congratulate him.
What do you make of the appointment – is Scott Mills a good fit and will you be listening?
Harry Quick -
10th January 2024 
