Nearly 500 females were newly identified as having been subjected to female genital mutilation (FGM) in one month, according to newly released figures.
The Health and Social Care Information Centre (HSCIC) said 467 patients treated at reporting acute NHS hospital trusts in England were found to have undergone the illegal procedure in September.
The data also showed that 1,279 female patients previously identified as having been subjected to FGM were being treated at the end of last month.
The findings are the first official figures to have been published on the numbers of FGM cases seen in hospitals in England, with 125 of the 160 acute hospital trusts in England returning data for September.
The HSCIC said the results were a “first step” towards understanding how many females have been subject to genital mutilation, but added that the data only included cases reported by acute hospital trusts.
Read more: http://www.stroudnewsandjournal.co.uk/news/national/11540920.Data_highlights_500_new_FGM_cases/
