Rise in attendees at gay men’s clinic

More gay men are attending the HSE’s Gay Men’s Health Service to be tested for sexually transmitted infections and for advice on safe sex, new figures show.

Last year, 6,050 men attended the service where tests confirmed a sexually transmitted illness in 850 cases, the latest annual report from the HSE service reveals.

There were 50 cases of HIV confirmed — an increase of 30 over 2013. More than half of those diagnosed (58%) were first-time patients.