Reported STI cases outnumber flus and vomiting bugs in mid-west
Reported Sexually Transmitted Infection (STI) cases in the mid-west region have outnumbered the winter vomiting bug and flu in recent years, new figures reveal.
An HSE study found there were nearly 2,500 cases of chlamydia reported between 2013 and 2017 in Clare, Limerick and North Tipperary.
However, there were just over 1,500 flu cases and almost 550 norovirus infections.
The 'Working Together for Better Public Health Outcomes in the Mid-West' report was published by the HSE Mid West and the Department of Public Health this week.
There were 13,202 identified cases notified to the Department of Public Health Mid West between 2013 and 2017.
However, these reflect the number of cases which were notified and may not reflect the actual number of cases of each disease.
In those four years, a total of 5,194 STIs were reported across the three counties, which was 40% of all infectious diseases which were notified to the HSE.
Chlamydia topped the list of serious infections in counties Clare, Limerick and North Tipperary almost every year in the study.
It was only in Limerick that genital warts cases were more prevalent than flu.
