2,500 Are Treated at New Sex Clinics in Just 18 Months

More than 2,500 people in the northwest border region were treated for STIs in a recent 18-month period, with new clinics seeing increasing caseloads in Londonderry, Donegal, and Tyrone. The increases were a major topic at a recent sexual health conference in Omagh.

European funding helped establish new genitourinary clinics in Altnagelvin, Tyrone, and Letterkenny hospitals. Outreach clinics also were opened at North West Regional College and the Magee campus of the University of Ulster.

Clinics opened in Derry in October 2010 and November 2010 in Omagh. To date, 2,343 patients have been treated in these clinics, and more than 200 have been treated in Letterkenny General Hospital since its clinic opened six months ago.

“In Northern Ireland as in other parts of the UK, we are seeing increasing numbers of [STIs],” said Dr. Michael McBride, Northern Ireland’s chief medical officer.

“One of the main challenges we face is attitudes to sexual behavior,” McBride said. “Sexual health is a controversial subject in Northern Ireland. Many people have deeply held opinions about the best approaches; others are simply too embarrassed to discuss it openly. This must change. We cannot ignore the rising rates of [STIs] - it’s a major public health issue.”

The Friends of AIDS Foundation is dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for HIV positive individuals and empowering people to make healthy choices to prevent the spread of the HIV virus. To learn more about The Friends of AIDS Foundation, please visit: http://www.friendsofaids.org.

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