Sharp rise in sexually transmitted diseases in Ireland in past decade

The number of people with common sexually transmitted infections in Ireland has risen sharply over the past decade, a new Europe-wide report shows.

The incidence of gonorrhoea in Ireland increased fourfold while the rate of infection with syphilis and chlamydia doubled, according to the report from the European Centre for Disease Control.

The number of Irish cases of gonorrhoea grew from 270 to 1,264 between 2004 and 2013, the period covered by the report. Only the UK, which accounted for more than 60 per cent of all cases in Europe by 2013, reported a higher rate of infection relative to its population.

Chlamydia was the most commonly reported sexually transmitted infection (STI) in Ireland, with the number of cases growing from 2,803 to 6,230. The report says the true incidence of chlamydia is likely to be considerably higher because of the lack of symptoms caused by the infection.

Syphilis

The number of syphilis cases in Ireland grew from 112 a year to 160 over the period, with 105 cases in 2013 accounted for by men who have sex with men. More than 10 times as many men as women contract the disease, in contrast to many eastern European countries where the male-to-female ratio is closer to 2:1.

Overall in Europe, the report shows that while infection rates for many STIs have stabilised in recent years, gonorrhoea rates continue to rise, particularly among men. The latter trend is being linked to increased infection among men who have sex with men. The overall syphilis rate has also been rising since 2010, again particularly among men.

The rising rates of gonorrhoea in Ireland and other countries, though influenced by increased testing of high-risk groups, is evidence of continuing unsafe sexual behaviour, according to the report. This carries with it the risk of other STIs, including HIV.

Young adults aged 15-25 account for 14 per cent of all syphilis cases, but 39 per cent of gonorrhoea cases and 67 per cent of chlamydia cases. The report says this reflects not only prevalence of the diseases but also screening practices targeted at sexually active young people.