Valentine’s warning issued as sharp rise in chlamydia recorded in Kerry

There has been an alarming rise in chlamydia and gonorrhoea recorded in Kerry.

That’s according to Dr Mary McCaffrey, Medical Director of the Scotia Clinic in Tralee.

She says an increase in risky sexual activity in the county has seen STI rates jump by a third, while gonorrhoea rates are up by 175%.

According to the Health Protection Surveillance Centre, last year over 1,300 (1,341) cases of chlamydia were recorded in the HSE South West region – which includes Kerry and Cork.

Dr McCaffrey says there has been an increase in younger people not using contraception, while there’s also been a rise in pregnancies in women over 45 years of age.

More information on STIs can be found on sh24.ie or on mycontraception.ie