Sexually transmitted infections are on the rise in Northern Ireland. File photo from Wikicommons
FOLLOWING a dip during the pandemic, sexually transmitted infections (STIs) are on the rise in Northern Ireland with levels of syphilis and gonorrhoea reaching unprecedented levels.
According to the Public Health Agency (PHA), 5,280 new STI cases were detected in clinics in 2022, a 42% increase from 2021.
An additional 3,079 cases were detected via online self-testing, a 47% year on increase.
Testing rates have increased thanks to the introduction of online services during the pandemic which facilitated almost 30k STI screenings in 2022.
However, this cannot fully account for the scale of the surge which strongly suggests a true increase in infection levels.
The PHA’s most recent STI surveillance report shows the highest levels of gonorrhoea since records began, with a threefold annual increase.
The study also notes a 57% increase in new diagnoses of chlamydia and twice as many infectious syphilis cases than in the previous year.
Although syphilis was almost eradicated in the 1990s, with rarely more than a single case diagnosed each year, there were almost 200 syphilis diagnoses in 2022.
When compared with pre-pandemic data from 2019, instances of chlamydia have risen by 79%.
Gonorrhoea is also becoming more common. It now accounts for the largest share of in-clinic diagnoses. And the infection is growing increasingly resistant to antibiotics.
Misconceptions also exist about who is or is not at risk.
The rate of HIV transmission amongst heterosexual people has doubled in the last decade.
So how do we account for the rise in infections?
The Covid pandemic drastically impacted sexual health service delivery and people’s sexual behaviours.
Out of a period of deep isolation emerged a post-pandemic summer of love with people seeking connection and making up for lost time.
But the health risk of having condomless sex with a casual partner needs to be reinforced.
Maria Hassan
Young people are most likely to contract STIs, with 16-34 year olds accounting for approximately 80% of cases.
As the debate around sex education in schools rages on, young people are learning about sex from porn and seeking sexual health advice from TikTok, feeling they have nowhere else to turn.
Instead of getting reliable information from a trusted source they are being exposed to a multitude of myths and misinformation.
Services are out there but the stubborn sense of shame that exists around STIs prevents people from getting checked and drives the rate of infection.
STIs are common and mostly treatable but prevention is and has always been the best cure.
Promoting the use of condoms and continuing to increase the availability of testing is the simplest way to encourage safer sex and limit the spread of STIs.
Without properly resourced services, accessible appointments, and comprehensive sex education STI rates will continue along the same worrying trajectory.
With the Executive back up and running, it is time to deliver on sex education reform and ensure adequately funded and fully resourced sexual health services.
Maria Hassan is a freelance journalist and relationships and sexuality education facilitator with Common Youth @MariaSassan