The number of people presenting with sexually transmitted diseases has increased by 45 percent on this time last year.
Following a drop in cases at the start of the pandemic, HIV diagnoses have surged by 84 percent, gonorrhoea has increased by 61 percent while reports of chlamydia were up 44 percent.
Gender, Sexuality and Relationships Editor with SpunOut.ie Rebecca Connelly says the first step after a diagnoses should be sharing the news with your sexual partner:
"It's best to be honest. I know it can be daunting, but, you know, you can help protect others by being honest. And if you just tried to think of it like telling someone you have Covid. You know, you wouldn't feel ashamed by telling someone you had Covid and it's very similar".
