Those who are most at risk from STIs in general are young people under the age of 25, people who have had 2 or more sexual partners in the previous six months and men who have sex with men (MSM).

Despite public awareness campaigns, access to information, prevention and treatment advice high numbers of STIs continue to be reported to Departments of Public Health in Ireland.

Dr Margaret Fitzgerald (Consultant in Public Health Medicine) commented that “In recent months the number of more serious infections that have been reported across different age groups affecting both men and women is worrying. The infections reported include are syphilis, gonorrhoea, acute hepatitis B, HIV and Chlamydia”.

Syphilis

A big concern for Dr Fitzgerald is the resurgence of syphilis during the 2007-08 reporting period. In 2001-02 there was a major outbreak of syphilis in Dublin which mostly affected men who have sex with men (MSM). The outbreak was contained through public health interventions of awareness raising, increased testing and contact tracing and the numbers decreased between 2003-06. However since 2007 again there has been an in increase in new cases of early syphilis affecting mainly MSM not just from Dublin but from most parts of the country. In 2008 alone there were 96 new cases of early syphilis reported. Syphilis is very treatable if diagnosed early and it is extremely important to treat all sexual contacts of diagnosed patients. It is also important to carry out a full STI screen as many of those infected are at risk from HIV and other infections.

Chlamydia

Another concern is the increase in diagnosed cases of Chlamydia, which is the most common STI notified to Public Health Departments. In 2008 there were 1855 new cases diagnosed in the HSE East region - an increase of 35% on 2007 figures. Chlamydia is a bacterial infection that affects both men and women. Young people (25 and under) appear to be particular at risk. It is called the “silent” STI because for the majority of women and about half of men there are no symptoms. There can, however, be serious long term effects especially for women such as chronic pelvic infection and infertility.

The infection can also be passed to babies at birth. According to Dr Fitzgerald there is better awareness of Chlamydia generally now than in the past and this may contribute to the rise in numbers of people diagnosed but these figures could also be an under represent of the true burden of Chlamydia especially in women. Chlamydia is very treatable when diagnosed, and a full STI screen should be carried out to rule out other infections. It is also important to treat sexual contacts of diagnosed patients.

If you are concerned that you may have an STI get advice from you local STI/GUM clinic, Doctor or contact the HSE Drugs/HIV Helpline 1800 459 459 or one of the support services listed on the dedicated HSE website, www.yoursexualhealth.ie.