One in five men who used the HSE Gay Men’s Health Service (GMHS) clinic for STD testing in 2012 received a diagnosis of gonorrhea, chlamydia, HIV or syphilis, according to the service’s latest statistics.
The 2012 report was published on 21 June at the launch of the 11th annual Gay Health Forum, known as the GHF 11, organised by the GMHS and the Gay Health Network with the support of the Department of Health, the National AIDS Strategy Committee and the HSE National Office for Social Inclusion.
According to the report, demand for clinic services increased by 20 per cent for people aged 24 or younger from 2011 to 2012.
The same period saw a five per cent increase in first time attendees, while HIV testing increased by 39 per cent, and positive diagnoses of gonorrhea, HIV and syphilis increased by 43, 37 and 22 per cent respectively. Cases of chlamydia decreased from 2011.
The GMHS is aimed at men who have sex with men (MSM) as a key group for clinic services. The Man2Man National HIV and Sexual Health awareness programme attempts to reach to this audience by promoting social inclusion and access to information for harder-to-reach groups.
Such groups include the 37 per cent of clinic attendees in 2012 who were born abroad and the 17 per cent who reside outside Dublin city.
In light of the recently released annual report, HSE head of health promotion Nazih Eldin said it “builds on the work of the Man2Man programme in promoting STI screening among young MSM, with an emphasis on younger men and men living outside of main urban centres.
“Rates for STIs and HIV are higher among new attendees so this highlights the need for continued access to testing for this group.”
