HSE awards STI testing-kit contract to UK company amid syphilis outbreak

The HSE has awarded a €1.2m contract for sexually-transmitted-infection testing to combat a 'genuine emergency' outbreak of syphilis.

The Health Service Executive (HSE) has awarded a €1.2m contract for an online, sexually-transmitted-infection (STI) testing service without a prior call for competition, following a national syphilis outbreak.

The HSE said it awarded the contract as a move to address a "genuine emergency" to public health.