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.
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.
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.
“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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Pep Guardiola hints at when Manchester City fans can expect to see their latest arrival
Danny Jones
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has given supporters a rough timeline as to when they can expect to see their new signing, or at least their latest arrival, make his first appearance.
The Blues wrapped up the January transfer window with four major signings: their new attacking number seven, Omar Marmoush (who has already bagged a hattrick on his home debut) promising defensive duo, Abdukodir Khusanov and Brazilian Vitor Reis, as well as their ‘mini-Rodri’, Nico Gonzalez.
However, the club has had another late arrival who was technically signed back at the start of last year but who has spent for the last 12 months or so loaned back to his previous parent club, River Plate in Argentina, waiting to make the move over to the Etihad Stadium – and now he’s here in Manchester.
Speaking on his touchdown in 0161, Pep said Claudio Echeverri won’t be thrown into first-team action straight away but did give a rough estimate as to when City fans could expect him to get involved. You can see him discussing the integration plan in his post-match press conference following the Spurs win.
The mention was only brief but there’s still plenty of reason for Man City fans to be excited by the late January signing.
“Yeah, he [Claudio Echeverri] is going to start to train and mainly will be for the end of the season, maybe the [Club] World Cup and as soon as possible [that] he arrives he can adapt quick for the future.”
As mentioned, the 19-year-old Argentinian attacking midfielder from Resistencia officially put pen to paper with CFG back in January 2024 and was quickly dubbed ‘the next Messi’.
Now, although the football world is often quick to jump the gun with these things and he isn’t the first and certainly won’t be last to be slapped with this premature title, he’s done more to back up these claims since then than he has rubbish them.
Starring at the 2025 Under-20 South American Championships, netting six goals in nine games to finish the tournament as the second highest scorer thanks to notable braces against Brazil and Uruguay as the young Argentine’s finished as runners up.
He also notched 48 senior appearances for River Plate thus far, netting four goals and grabbing eight assists in that time, not to mention having already captained his national team at the 2023 Under 17s World Cup, where he scored another five.
Safe to say there’s plenty of talent to be tapped in this lad.
Once again, Echeverri won’t go straight into the senior set-up for a little while yet, barring a major injury crisis, but he’ll be a more than exciting addition to the City Football Academy and for future first-team lineups for years to come.
Who knows, maybe he’ll be included in an FA Cup matchday squad? Nevertheless, you can expect him to not just come of the bench but hopefully show what he can do at the Club World Cup this summer.
City‘s first fixture as reigning champions of the competition will be against Moroccan side Wydad AC on 18 June 2025.
You can watch Echeverri’s first full interview as a Man City player down below:
The new Man City signing is excited to be finally be part of the club 13 months on from agreeing his contract.
Rochdale has been named Greater Manchester’s ‘Town of Culture’ for 2025
Emily Sergeant
Rochdale has officially been named Greater Manchester’s Town of Culture for 2025.
Taking over the reins from Bolton – which held the title in 2024 – and following in the footsteps of Stockport before that, which held the title in 2023, and even hosted a massive ‘Town of Culture Weekender’ festival with 50+ free events to celebrate and bring its title year to a close, it’s now the turn of the north-eastern Greater Manchester borough of Rochdale.
Rochdale’s year will build on the town’s already-rich cultural history and international reputation as the home of the co-operative movement.
More than 35 arts organisations will be bringing together an ambitious programme of festivals, exhibitions, events, and performances throughout the year.
Unfamiliar with what the ‘Greater Manchester Town of Culture’ title is all about? It’s an accolade that’s handed out every year to different boroughs across the region.
Bury was the inaugural title-holder 2020 and held onto it in 2021 too due to the COVID pandemic, before being followed by Stalybridge in 2022, Stockport in 2023, and of course, Bolton in the year just gone.
The title celebrates Greater Manchester’s culture and heritage.
As well as getting a new title to shout about, it also sees the towns given a grant from the Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) culture fund to help develop a programme of cultural events and activities throughout the year.
Rochdale has been named Greater Manchester’s ‘Town of Culture’ for 2025 / Credit: The Manc Group | Rochdale Council
In Rochdale’s case, you can expect the ‘very best local talent’, as this year is promising to put ‘people power’ centre stage, with residents helping to plan, develop, and deliver a lineup of creative activities, alongside a number of major events.
This includes the popular free days out for families, an exciting new urban arts festival, two different food and drink festivals, a lantern parade, the Ignite Fire Festival, a Pride parade, and so much more.
You can also expect live music performances, a new people’s gallery, and even some major international collaborations that are yet to be announced.
Rochdale is taking over the reins from Bolton, which held the title in 2024 / Credit: Rochdale Council
“Rochdale is a place with a rich cultural history, so it is great to name it Greater Manchester’s town of culture as it’s town hall and town centre enter a new era,” commented Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham as the borough was crowned this week.
“Rochdale submitted a fantastic bid for this which, was incredibly exciting and ambitious, while being firmly rooted in its local talent and deep history.
Harry Quick -
10th January 2024 
