BARNSLEY has the lowest rates of sexually transmitted infections in South Yorkshire, new figures have revealed.
More than 1,400 cases were reported last year, which equates to only 637 new cases for every 100,000 people. Of those, 782 related to chlamydia.
Rotherham was the highest scoring in South Yorkshire with 949.5 new cases per 100,000 people, while Sheffield had 800.2 cases.
But in Barnsley STI diagnoses fell last year. There were 740.7 cases per 100,000 people in 2011 which was above average for Yorkshire and the Humber.
Syphilis rose in 2012 however, from 0.9 cases per 100,000 to 1.7.
Health bosses say there's been an increase nationally but the number of cases is below the national and regional average and is not a particular concern in Barnsley at the moment.
A Barnsley Council spokesman said: "Sexual health is a major public health issue and in Barnsley and we have made significant headway over recent years in improving the accessibility and quality of sexual health services."
A three-year strategy has been launched to improve the town's sexual health and cut down STIs even further.
"While these figures demonstrate we have made considerable progress, we recognise there's much more to do," the spokesman said.
