The amount of sexually transmitted infections (STI) in Ireland surged by 31% in 2023, according to the Health Protection Surveillance Centre.
The diseases which saw the biggest increases were gonorrhoea, which rose by 68% overall, and chlamydia, which rose 25%.
The overall STI reporting rate last year increased to 452 per 100,000 population, from 346 in 2022 the year before.
The most common STIs reported last year were chlamydia, with 13,711 reports, and gonorrhoea at 6,824.
Notably, among 15 to 19-year-old females, the STI notification rate rose by 61%. Within this change, the gonorrhoea notification rate increased by 175%, while the chlamydia notification rate increased by 53%.
Those most impacted by such infections overall were people between the ages of 15 to 24, as well as “men who have sex with men” (such as gay men and bisexuals).
The HSPC figures reveal that 45% of all STIs notified in 2023 were in people under the age of 25.
At least one disease did decrease in prevalence, however.
Monkeypox – which has been found exclusively in gay or bisexual men in Ireland – saw a 93% decrease between 2022 and 2023, dropping from 277 cases reported to just 13 last year.