The number of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) is rising sharply across Europe, prompting concern among health experts as cases of gonorrhea and syphilis reach levels well above those recorded a decade ago. “There is a real increase in transmission,” Dr. Stella Bivol, head of the World Health Organization’s European office for sexually transmitted infections, told The Economist. Between 2023 and 2024, gonorrhea cases increased in Bulgaria, France and Italy. Belgium and Hungary saw sharp increases in syphilis cases during the same period, while both infections rose sharply in Lithuania and Malta. Antibiotic resistance adds another challengeCountries with extensive STI testing face a different problem: antibiotic resistance.