10,000 free home STI test kits are being ordered every month from the HSE, according to a statement by Minister of State Hildegarde Naughton.
The HSE provides individuals aged 17 and older with the option to privately test for STIs in the privacy of their own home. If the test has a reactive result, individuals are then referred to a public STI clinic for further investigation or treatment.
New figures reveal that the health service received over 100,000 kit orders last year by the end of November 2023, compared to 91,000 in 2022.
“60% of STI service users identified as female (including trans female),” the Department of Health said in a statement.
“38% identified as male (including trans male), with the remaining 2% identifying as non-binary, other, or preferring not to say.
“78% of users described their sexual orientation as heterosexual and 22% as gay, lesbian or bisexual.
“About a third of users were from a variety of ethnic backgrounds other than Irish.”
Minister Naughten, who is Minister for Public Health and Wellbeing, said she was “delighted” with the additional “access” being provided.
“I am delighted with the additional access that home STI testing provides, providing a discreet and confidential service for users, leading to quick diagnosis and intervention for those that have a reactive test result,” she said.
She added that this is “particularly important” in the context of “rising STI rates, both nationally and internationally.”
Naughton went on to claim that this service shows the government’s “prioritisation” of sexual health, adding: “We have been making great progress implementing, delivering and expanding additional services that support everyone’s sexual health…”
The Minister further said that funding for the STI home testing service totalled €3.55 million in 2023, and that she was “delighted” to see this increased to €4.27 million in 2024.
To the end of November 2023, just over 7,100 users had a reactive result, with approximately 4,800 representing chlamydia diagnoses, 1,400 representing gonorrhoea diagnoses and 840 users having a reactive result for hepatitis B or C, syphilis or HIV.