Huge spike in STI cases reported since January 2022

Recent data released by the Health Protection Surveillance Centre on January 11th has detailed a spike in sexually transmitted infections, most notably in documented cases of HIV.

Comparing the data to 2022’s first week of the year, there are 163 more cases of non-HIV STIs and 23 more cases of HIV documented since the Covid restrictions lapsed.

Overall, there has been a 276% spike. A total of 222 cases, 27 being HIV, have been documented within the first week of 2023. In the first week of 2022 there were a total of 59 cases documented.

We have published our weekly report on HIV and STI cases in Ireland. For the week ending 7 January 2023, we are reporting:

🚩 85 cases of chlamydia
🚩 70 cases of gonorrhoea
🚩 26 cases of syphilis
🚩 27 cases of HIV

Find out more 👉 https://t.co/7aA32xNyvi pic.twitter.com/LP9yHUcrww

— HSE Health Protection Surveillance Centre (HPSC) (@hpscireland) January 11, 2023

Geographically, the east, south, and southwest portions of the country are most heavily affected.

The large majority of cases span ages 20 -  39, 51 of the cases spanning the 20 - 24 year old range and 43 of the cases spanning the 25 - 29 year old range.

STI testing kits are available to individuals aged 17 years and older.

From today, everyone in Ireland aged 17 and older will have access to free home testing for sexually transmitted infections (STIs). To find out more, or to order your free home STI test kit visit: https://t.co/1GyOfwSMyr #STIHomeTesting #respectprotect pic.twitter.com/WGyhD0vmee

— HSE Ireland (@HSELive) October 4, 2022

However, it’s not just a spike in STIs that have risen with the recent relaxations of Covid restrictions and protection measures.

Chief Medical Officer Breda Smith tweeted Friday that “Hospitalisations for flu have reached a record high while COVID and RSV are still circulating at high levels.”