A record number of more than 10,000 cases of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) were notifed in the State in 2002, according to figures from the National Disease Surveillance Centre (NDSC).
Some 10,471 STIs were notified in 2002, compared to 9,703 in 2001, although the number of cases of syphilis and gonnorhea were down.
Notified STIs have been increasing steadily each year since 1994, according to the NDSC. The figures jumped by 157.1 per cent between 1994 and 2002 and by 370 per cent between 1989 and 2002.
The largest increase was in infectious hepatitis B, which rose by 46.15 per cent. The NDSC said the most commonly reported infections in 2002 were anogenital warts, non-specific urethritis and C.trachomatis.
NDSC specialist in public health medicine Dr Mary Cronin said although the increases in reported cases reflect unsafe sexual practices, other factors including the availability of more sophisticated testing methods and professional awareness of STIs generally, also contributed to the increases.
She said: "I would urge those who are sexually active to practice safe sex, as most STIs are preventable. Many STIs may have no signs or symptoms. . . . STIs are easily treated and cured if identified, but early diagnosis and treatment is important. If left untreated, irreversible complications including infertility and ectopic pregnancies can arise."
Dr Cronin said that having another sexually transmitted infection also increases the risk of transmission and acquisition of HIV infection.
"As in 2000 and 2001, there were large numbers of syphilis infections reported in 2002. This is against a low incidence of reported syphilis cases throughout the 1990s in Ireland. These figures reflect the outbreak of syphilis amongst men who have sex with men (MSM) in Dublin during 2002, which peaked in 2001.
"The 2002 figures show a decrease in the reported numbers of cases of gonorrhoea and syphilis among males. These decreases are likely to have been partly due to interventions put in place at the time by the Eastern Regional Health Authority outbreak control team in response to the syphilis problem," said Dr Cronin.
Some 10,471 STIs were notified in 2002, compared to 9,703 in 2001. Notified STIs have been increasing steadily each year since 1994, according to the NDSC. The figures jumped by 157.1 per cent between 1994 and 2002 and by 370 per cent between 1989 and 2002.