A new campaign for the Irish Pharmacy Union (IPU), the HSE Sexual Health and Crisis Pregnancy Programme and the Irish Family Planning Association encourages people to ask their pharmacist for advice about their sexual health and contraception needs.
A survey carried out by Healthy Ireland in 2015 found that 17% of those having sex with someone outside of a steady relationship did not use any form of protection.
There has been a significant increase in the number of sexually transmitted infection (STI) notifications in the last number of years, rising from 3,361 notifications reported in 1995 to 12,626 in 2014.
Minister Varadkar said, “This is a really welcome campaign which can help us to address the stigma around sexual health and also highlight the dangers associated with the recent rise in infections. It’s great to see the pharmacy sector taking such an active role in improving sexual health and combating the rise in infections. This campaign will complement the Government’s Sexual Health Strategy and Action Plan which was launched last year.”
Helen Deely, Head of HSE Sexual Health and Crisis Pregnancy Programme, said, “In order to realise the vision of the sexual health strategy it is important that we address barriers to STI testing to ensure earlier diagnosis and reduce further transmission of infection. Community pharmacies play an important part in delivering knowledge and healthcare in our communities. This campaign to improve engagement on matters related to sexual health is very welcome. The HSE Sexual Health and Crisis Pregnancy Programme is examining all avenues to improve access to STI testing and we plan to publish clinical guidance on STI testing in various settings, including home based testing, later this year.”
IFPA Chief Executive, Niall Behan, commented, “Sexual health attitudes in Ireland have improved significantly in recent years, but services still lag behind. This initiative is another step towards better sexual health information by highlighting the advice and services that pharmacists can provide.”
