A recent report states that Ireland tops the list of 30 European countries experiencing the highest incidence of gonorrhoea. The European Centre for Disease Control (ECDC), based in Stockholm, describes the climb in sexually transmitted diseases across Europe as “concerning.”
The upsurge illuminates an urgent necessity for enhanced consciousness around the issue, stronger preventative measures, and improved accessibility to testing and effective treatment methods. The year 2022 saw a 48% increase in gonorrhoea incidents across the observed countries, along with a 34% increase in syphilis cases and a 16% increase in chlamydia cases. There were also considerable increases in other sexually transmitted diseases, including congenital syphilis.
Ireland registered a staggering 3,812 cases of gonorrhoea in 2022, marking almost a 60% escalation since 2018. On a broader scale, 71,000 cases of the disease were noted across Europe that year, with the highest rates found in nations having well-established surveillance systems. Following Ireland, Luxembourg, Denmark, Spain, Malta, Iceland, Norway and Sweden also reported high infection rates.
The report doesn’t include the UK as it left the European Union, however, in years preceding the Brexit, its gonorrhoea rates were higher than those of Ireland. Sixty per cent of the recorded cases were in men engaging in sexual activity with other men, but there was also a significant increase in infections among young men and women, particularly those aged 20-24. The ECDC pointed out that this young age group has seen a recent spike in cases primarily from heterosexual transmission.
Gonorrhoea, a bacterial infection which can result in pain and infertility if untreated, is usually managed with antibiotics. Many infected individuals might not display symptoms. Between 2018 and 2022, Ireland reported two cases of congenital syphilis, a condition where syphilis is transferred from mother to child. They were among 14 countries reporting such cases, while 11 reported no cases at all.
The year 2022 saw 69 reported cases of congenital syphilis in Europe, over half of these in Bulgaria and Spain, compared to 55 cases in the previous year.
Ireland has experienced a surge in lymphogranuloma venereum diagnoses, an STD commonly spread via anal intercourse. Reports indicate the numbers have almost doubled compared to the previous year, with 27 new cases observed. The epidemic has spread across Europe with 2,059 instances of the disease recorded.
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