Sexually transmitted infection (STI) diagnoses surged 29% last year, according to a leading sexual health consultant.
St James Hospital’s Dr Aisling Loy attributed the increase to a nationwide rollout of free home STI testing kits and told Newstalk Breakfast clinics do not suit everyone.
“I think 42% of the people who did the online home tests have never actually done an STI screen before,” she said.
“For various reasons, people can’t access care; they could be in hard-to-reach areas or it could be the cost of coming to travel and see a provider, or even getting an appointment.
“It also could be the stigma and they are too embarrassed to talk about it or don’t want to be seen and so on and so forth.”
Prof Fiona Lyons, Clinical Lead for Sexual Health, at the launch of the HSE free national home STI testing service. 4-10-2022. Photograph: Leon Farrell / Photocall IrelandIreland is a world leader in terms of home STI testing, according to Dr Loy.
“This has been rolled out since a pilot study in 2019,” she said.
“Since 2022 we have had this service rolled out throughout all of Ireland.
“It’s been a good news story in that we are the first country in the world to offer free home testing kits to anyone aged over 17.
“We’ve seen the figures live as the months have rolled on so I’m not surprised with the sum total at the end of the year – It’s a good news story.”
Too soon
Dr Loy said one issue with home testing is sometimes “people might test too soon”.
“Someone might have had unprotected sex at the weekend and on Wednesday order a test kit thinking when they get the result that everything is hunky dory and fine,” she said.
“It can take a couple of weeks for chlamydia to test positive on a test kit; there is that window period.
“For more serious infections like HIV, that can take 42 days so if you want you can test again after that window period to save being falsely assured.”
Public Health Minister Hildegarde Naughton. Photograph: Sasko Lazarov / RollingNews.ieDr Loy said syphilis can take up to 90 days to show on a test, while some things may not show at all.
“It doesn’t test for things like mycoplasma genitalium which is quite a new infection with similar symptoms to chlamydia,” she said.
“You also have herpes, genital warts, scabies – we’re seeing loads of resistant scabies at the moment.
“There are still lots of infections making their way into clinics.”
Condom use
Condoms are still as important as ever, advised Dr Loy.
“I think there is a lack of condom use and that message isn’t getting out there loud and clear,” she said.
“It is a message that needs to get out there that absolutely condoms will significantly reduce this large increase we have seen.
“There is a national programme for free condoms being sent out. You can go online and order them and like the STI kits they will be posted out to you.”
It comes as Minister for Public Health Hildegarde Naughton announced today that 10,000 home testing kits were being ordered from the HSE every month.
Main image: Patients In a doctor's waiting room. Credit: Montgomery Martin / Alamy Stock Photo.
