Source: AFP
By:
(DUBLIN, IRELAND) — The number of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) notified in Ireland during 2002 was the highest on record, a government agency said.
The number of STIs rose by 7.9 percent to 10,471 in 2002, the National Disease Surveillance Centre (NDSC) said.
“Notified STIs have been increasing steadily each year since 1994, increasing by 157 percent between 1994 and 2002 and by 370 percent between 1989 and 2002,” it said.
The largest annual increase in 2002 was for infectious Hepatitis B, which rose by over 46 percent. Between 1999 and 2000, Hep C notifications rose by 650 percent.
“I would urge those who are sexually active to practice safe sex, as most STIs are preventable,” said the NDSC’s public health medicine specialist Mary Cronin.
