There has been a massive jump in the number of people in Dublin testing positive for genital herpes. New figures from the Well Woman Centre in Dublin show numbers presenting with the sexual infection have jumped 72% within the past year.

Its annual report shows cases of chlamydia have risen by 35% and the centre says the statistics show that the sexual health of people living in the capital is now a serious cause for concern.

The Centre says they are also concerned that women who are now accessing Emergency Contraception over-the-counter in community pharmacies are missing out on a holistic sexual health consultation. To combat this, they are calling for a nurse supplied Emergency Contraception service as part of the National Sexual Health Strategy.

They believe this will help provide a lower-cost sexual health consultation, which would fit well with the stated intention of the Minister for Health to provide healthcare services at the lowest level of complexity.

Significant figures in the 2012 Annual Report include:

Chlamydia:

In 2012, 252 positive Chlamydia infections were diagnosed by the Well Woman Centre in its three centres, an increase of 35% on the same figure for 2011

Genital Herpes Simplex Infection:

Herpes Simplex (HS) 2 relates predominantly to genital herpes and levels of this infection went from 22 cases in 2011 to 38 in 2012, representing an increase of 72%

HS1 is the virus that causes ‘cold sores’.

It is estimated that approximately 80% of the population have contracted HS1 at some point. Figures show that over 80 cases of HS1 were detected by the Well Woman Centre in 2012, an increase of 25% on the same figure for 2011.

Spokesperson Alison Begas is encouraging everyone to take their sexual health more seriously.