Christmas flings lead to spike in STI worries

Casual Christmas flings by people who went further than a kiss under the mistletoe have led to a record spike in calls to STI clinics.

Medical staff at the South Infirmary Victoria Hospital’s sexually transmitted infection clinic in Cork, who operate satellite clinics in the city and at Kerry General Hospital, are bracing themselves for one of their busiest months after the festive season.

New figures for 2013 show they received a record 3,714 calls to the clinics seeking help and advice last January.

The volume of calls dropped to 2,480 the following month.

The figures between March and September ranged from around 2,100 calls to just over 2,900 a month.

The total number of calls made during the year stood at 26,870.

The calls translated to a total of 666 visits to the clinics in Jan 2013 alone — an average of just over 21 people visiting one of the three clinics every day.

Prof Mary Horgan, a consultant in infectious diseases and based at Cork University Hospital, said that Jan 2013 was by far the clinics’ busiest ever month.

The post-Christmas surge was down to people’s anxiety about their behaviour or events during the festive season, she said.

“One of the issues arising out of the figures is the role played by alcohol consumption and its ability to impair judgement,” she said.

The steady rise in STI rates nationally demonstrates a clear need for a sustained national public awareness campaign, along similar lines to anti-smoking campaigns, she said.

“Most young people would be well-informed in this area but when was the last time you saw an ad or a campaign about avoiding STIs?

“There is not enough ongoing health promotion when it comes to this area.

“We need ongoing education, starting with young people when they are in secondary school. It could be delivered in conjunction with the HPV vaccine which we are now giving to 12-year-old girls.”

Prof Horgan said embarrassment was also a factor.

“The problems bubble under the radar. Nobody talks about it. They just get it dealt with and hope their friends don’t find out.”

She said public health experts are concerned about an increase in the rates of two STIs in particular — the bacterial infection chlamydia, which saw reported incidents rise by 4% last year; and gonorrhoea, up 33% last year, particularly in young heterosexuals in their 20s.

“Gonorrhoea is easy to diagnose and treat but is can lead to serious complications if left untreated — including sepsis in the short-term, and infertility in the long-term.”

However, a vaccine has resulted in a decrease in incidents of genital warts, she said.

She urged anyone with concerns to contact their local STI clinic.

“There is no shame in it. It is important to just get checked out if you have concerns.

“The service is free, confidential, and non-judgmental. Everything is treatable and most things are curable.”

* yoursexualhealth.ie or contact 021 4966844.

Infection trends

* Sexually transmitted Infections (STI) trends in 2012:

* Chlamydia: 6,162 (-4% since 2011)

* Ano-genital warts: 1,981 (-24%)

* Non-specific urethritis: 1,539 (-4%)

* Herpes simplex (genital): 1,326 (+5%)

* Gonorrhoea: 1,108 (+33%)

* Syphilis: 518 (-21%)

* Trichomoniasis: 81 (+8%)

* Lymphogranuloma venereum: 4 (+100%)

Summary of HIV and STIs reported in the first week of January:

* 36 cases of Chlamydia trachomatis — 27 more than the same period in 2013.

* 8 cases of Gonorrhoea — six more than the same period last year.

* 8 cases of Herpes simplex — 6 more than for same period last year.

* 5 cases of HIV — 5 more than the same period last year.

(Source: Health Protection Surveillance Centre)