There has been “at least” a 100% increase in teenagers getting diagnosed with STIs this year, a consultant in sexual health has said.
Figures from the HSE have revealed that 783 teenagers in Ireland have been diagnosed with sexually transmitted infections (STIs) in 2023.
The figures included two children who are under 14 years of age.
The most common STI in Ireland this year was chlamydia with 4,311 cases, followed by gonorrhoea with 2,326 cases.
Speaking to Pat Kenny, consultant of sexual health and HIV care in genitourinary medicine at St. James Hospital Dr Aisling Loy said the data “definitely is alarming.”
“It's preliminary data so it gets cleaned up at the end of the year … before it's cleaned up it still is indicative that we are seeing a big rise,” she said.
‘100% increase’
Dr Loy said last year’s cleaned-up data revealed a total of 950 STI diagnoses among teenagers.
“We're already on track to see maybe at least a 100% increase this year,” she said.
“We’re a third way through the year and we’re at 700.
“Even when you take out some duplicate cases … there will be a slight drop, but not a huge drop.”
‘Gonorrhoea’
Dr Loy said that within the group of 15- to 19-year-olds, gonorrhoea diagnoses are driving the numbers.
“Traditionally in that age category, it was chlamydia, but actually that had gone down 6% in females, I think around 9% in young men,” she said.
“There's been a huge increase in gonorrhoea in that group.
“Traditionally we thought of these as being sexually transmitted by say penis to vagina, and that it would be traditional sexual routes of transmission.”
Dr Loy said new research has revealed that gonorrhoea is potentially being spread “via saliva, so by deep kissing, or oral sex.”
“What we're thinking is happening now in this young group, that it's not all penetrative sex in the traditional sense – there's a lot more being passed on from reservoirs of infection in the oropharynx,” she said.
‘Performative sex’
Dr Loy said an increase in “performative sex” and “pornification” within this group has resulted in higher levels of contraction.
“We'll see patients describing a lot more sort of adventurous sexual activities that we wouldn't have traditionally seen in younger age groups,” she said.
“Young people have access 24/7 to what would have been traditionally sort of top shelf, sexually explicit material that they wouldn't have seen.
“This has been shown to change their repertoire for sexual activities, so they might not engage in more risky practices that they maybe don't see as high risk.
“Oral sex, lots of kissing and lots of changing of partners, more multiple partners, younger age of sexual debut.”
'STI testing'
The HSE free home STI testing service is available to anyone who lives in the Republic of Ireland and can be ordered by those under 18s for free home delivery.
HIV Ireland offers a free condoms service as part of their Just Carry One campaign. These services are for anyone aged 17 and over.
