University of Limerick warns of STI outbreak

The University of Limerick is working closely with the HSE following “an outbreak” of sexually transmitted diseases on campus.

An “urgent alert” was issued to the student population by the UL Student Health Centre advising of “an outbreak of gonorrhoea and chlamydia on campus”.

The email was sent yesterday warning the university population: “These are sexually transmitted diseases as a result of unprotected anal, vaginal or oral sex.”

The email advised students to contact their GP or the student health services “if you have had unprotected sex or have any concerns”.

“It is possible to have these conditions without having any type of symptoms. If you have had unprotected sex or have any concerns we would strongly advise you to contact the Student Health Centre or your GP,” the email added.

Responding to media queries, Dr Bernadette Walsh, director of student services at UL, stated: “This year, the Student Health Centre has been proactively screening for STIs and this may account for the increased levels of detection.

“According to the most up-to-date figures that we have access to, there have been 97 cases of gonorrhoea in counties Clare, Limerick, and Tipperary during 2016. Fourteen of these are associated with this campus, which consists of approximately 15,000 students,” she added.

“We have taken the proactive step, working closely with the HSE, of sending out a strongly-worded message to our student community alerting them to this public health issue because we take the wellbeing of our students very seriously.”