Concern over 'troubling' rise in cases of gonorrhoea, as new record set in Ireland
Ireland recorded highest rate of the common STD in Europe in 2022
Ireland had the highest rate of gonorrhoea infection out of 30 European countries in 2022, it has been revealed.
Across 30 countries in Europe in 2022, gonorrhoea cases rose by 48% year on year, with chlamydia cases rising 16%.
3,812 cases of gonorrhoea were reported in Ireland in 2022, an increase of almost 60% since 2018.
Gonorrhoea is a bacterial infection that can cause pain and more severley, infertility if left untreated. It is treated with antibiotics and often goes unnoticed, as those who contracted the STD will not experience symptoms.
The European Centre for Disease Control (ECDC) highlighted that there has been a “troubling” rise in the most common STDs across the continent off the back of this research.
Almost 71,000 gonorrhoea cases were reported across Europe in 2022. After Ireland, Denmark, Spain, Malta, Norway and Sweden recorded the highest rates of infection. The UK has not been included in the research following Brexit.
Cases of syphilis also rose by 34%, while other sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), including congenital syphilis, also increasing substantially.
In 2022, 69 cases of congenital syphilis were reported across Europe, compared to 55 in 2021.
Ireland also reported 27 cases of lymphogranuloma venereum, a disease transmitted through anal sex. Some 2,059 cases of the disease were reported across Europe.