Concern at rise in STIs among men who have sex with men

There has been a dramatic rise in cases of HIV, syphilis, and gonorrhoea in the last 18 months, the latest figures from the Health Protection Surveillance Centre (HPSC) reveal.

The increase has been particularly significant in men who have sex with men (MSM) according to HPSC.

While the centre said that cases of most sexually transmitted infections remained relatively stable in 2015 compared to a year earlier, its specialist in public health medicine, Dr Derval Igoe, said: “We are concerned about a 50% increase in syphilis, and a 30% increase in HIV cases in 2015.