STIs jump 276% in first week of 2023, with 27 cases of HIV recorded 

The jump in STIs is largely due to the Covid restrictions that were in place this time last year not being in place in 2023.

The number of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) recorded in the first seven days of the year has jumped by 276% on the same period in 2022 — with 27 cases of HIV recorded.

The first STI report of the new year from the Health Protection and Surveillance Centre (HPSC) shows the east, south and southwest of the country are the worst-affected regions, with 85 new cases of chlamydia and 70 cases of gonorrhoea in total identified.

The HPSC was notified of 222 cases of STIs, representing a 276% increase on the same period in 2022, when there were only 59 cases reported to the HPSC.

The jump is largely due to the Covid restrictions that were in place this time last year not being in place in 2023.

These included all nightclubs being closed and an 8pm closing time for bars, restaurants, cinemas and other indoor events.

More than half of the cases (119) were reported to the HSE's Eastern region, which takes in Dublin, Kildare and Wicklow.

However, HSE South, which is responsible for Cork and Kerry, saw the second-highest rates in the country, with 40 cases of HIV or an STI recorded between January 1 and January 7, 2023.

A further 17 STIs were recorded in HSE South East, covering Carlow, Kilkenny, South Tipperary, Waterford and Wexford.

In total, the data gathered by the HPSC showed:

• 85 cases of chlamydia trachomatis infection;
• 70 cases of gonorrhoea;
• 27 cases of HIV;
• 26 cases of syphilis;
• 14 cases of genital herpes.

Of the 222 cases, 140 of them were found in males, with 77 in females.

Those aged between 20-24 were the most viral, with 51 cases recorded in that age group, more than any other according to the HPSC's report.

Flu outbreaks

Meanwhile, flu outbreaks continued to wreak havoc in the country's hospitals and nursing homes as 2022 came to an end.

The final Infectious Disease Report for last year was published by the HPSC on Wednesday evening.

It showed there were 39 non-Covid outbreaks notified in Ireland in the period between Christmas Day and New Year's Eve.

This caused 160 people to fall ill.

Thirty one of those outbreaks were of influenza, with all of them occurring in a hospital or a nursing home.

One outbreak in a nursing home in the west of the country saw 25 residents getting influenza.

More than 3,000 people have already contracted influenza in 2023.

The eight non-influenza outbreaks saw:

• Two outbreaks of acute respiratory infection;
• Two outbreaks of acute infectious gastroenteritis;
• Two outbreaks of strep A (invasive);
• One outbreak of respiratory syncytial virus infection;
• One outbreak of carbapenemase-producing enterobacterales.

In week 52 of 2022, there were 72 Covid outbreaks notified.

That was a decrease of 43 compared to Week 51 of 2022. 

There were 10 outbreaks associated with acute hospitals, a further 35 with nursing homes and seven outbreaks associated with community hospitals or long-stay units.