A sexual health expert at St James’s Hospital in Dublin has advised partygoers to remain vigilant about STIs during the festive season.
Consultant in Genitourinary Medicine, Dr Aisling Loy, told Newstalk that the weeks before Christmas and into the New Year are extremely busy at their clinic, reports Breaking News.
“Mainly because I guess it’s that social time of year; when people go out, they take too much to drink and sometimes other substances and maybe make decisions that they normally wouldn’t make, reports Breaking News.
“And then wake up with symptoms or regret or worry or concerns and then come into us,” reports Breaking News.
Dr Loy mentioned that there was a “huge peak” in STI cases following the pandemic, although numbers have decreased in recent years
She cautions, however, that STI diagnoses in Ireland remain about 30 percent higher than pre-pandemic levels, reports Breaking News.
“But there’s been a decrease in the last year of around 10 percent which is a great thing, reports Breaking News.
“That could be because we’ve introduced lots of new measures, increased testing, reports Breaking News.
“Some people will be on DoxyPEP, that will prevent in the GBMSM (Gay, Bisexual, Men who have sex with Men) community, reports Breaking News.
“That might be adding to some of the decrease,” reports Breaking News.
Dr Loy highlighted that although many individuals show symptoms within two weeks of contracting an STI, some might not experience any symptoms at all
“You could have something and not have any symptoms at all, so don’t let that put you off getting tested, reports Breaking News.
“But most appear within two weeks; if you were to get a symptom – unusual discharge, a lesion, a bump, a lump, pain on urination or having intercourse – mostly they’ll come up within two weeks, reports Breaking News.
“You can get symptoms sooner than that – a few days – but mostly within two weeks, reports Breaking News.
“But again, most STIs have no symptoms,” reports Breaking News.
Free STI home testing kits are available from the HSE at [https://sh24.ie/](https://sh24.ie/)
Tell us your thoughts in the Facebook post and share this with your friends.
