STIs jump by 113% year-on-year as Cork and Kerry see rise

HSE South, which is responsible for Cork and Kerry, is the second-most infectious region in Ireland, with 276 cases so far this year.

The number of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) in Ireland has jumped by more than 113% on this time last year.

The statistic comes from the latest STI report, published weekly by the Health Protection Surveillance Centre (HPSC).

Figures also show that for the first time in 2023, an STI was recorded in a child aged 0-14, who contracted chlamydia.

The latest data is for the fifth week of the year (January 29 to February 4) and saw 551 new infections recorded be the HPSC.

Of those new infections:

• 323 were chlamydia;
• 140 were gonorrhea;
• 30 were genital herpes;
• 30 were HIV.

Those aged between 20 and 24 were the most infectious for the fifth week of the year, with 171 new infections reported by the HPSC.

So far in 2023, there have been 2,209 infections of an STI or HIV recorded, a rise of more than 113% on this date in 2022.

The number of gonorrhea cases has jumped by 159.5%, with chlamydia also rising by 134% year-on-year.

At this time in 2022, there were still a number of Covid restrictions in place, including pubs having a 9pm curfew and a cap on the number of people allowed at indoor and outdoor gatherings.

HSE South, which is responsible for Cork and Kerry, is the second-most infectious region in Ireland, with 276 cases so far this year, trailing HSE East (Dublin, Kildare and Wicklow).

STIs have been more common in men, with more than half of the cases so far in 2023 being recorded by males.