A total of 783 people under the age of 19 have been diagnosed with a sexually transmitted infection this year.
Alarmingly, figures from the HSE show two children were under 14 while the others were aged between 15 and 19.
Beaumont Hospital consultant Bill Tormey has raised his concerns about this.
Read more: HSE launches free home testing kits for STIs
He said: “The age of consent to sex in Ireland is 17 years.
“A person under 17 years may not give consent to sex and there is no ‘Romeo and Juliet’ close-in age exemption in Ireland.
“Sex under 17 may result in prosecution for statutory rape.”
In total, 8,092 people have picked up an STI so far in 2023 –an increase of 70% on the same time last year.
They’re most prevalent among 20 to 24-year-olds, with this age -group accounting for over a third of the cases this year.
But they’re also quite common in older age groups, with 227 people in their 50s getting an STI diagnosis, and 91 over-65s.
The most prevalent STI in Ireland this year is chlamydia trachomatis infection, which accounts for 4,611 cases.
Chlamydia is a bacterial infection passed on through unprotected sex and is particularly common in sexually active teenagers and young adults.
Sexually active men and women under the age of 25 are being urged to have a chlamydia test once a year, especially if they are not using condoms.
The next most common is gonorrhoea, with 2,326 cases.
Gonorrhea is caused by bacteria that live in warm, moist parts of the body such as the throat, rectum, penis and vagina.
Left untreated, gonorrhoea can cause infertility in both men and women.
Professor Tormey said: “Chlamydia and gonorrhoea may block the fallopian tubes and lead to lower fertility rates.”
A total of 307 people have been diagnosed with HIV this year, while 290 tested positive for syphilis.
Professor Tormey warned: “Syphilis in pregnancy may be transmitted to the baby with serious consequences.”
Kiki Martire, a director of SpunOut.ie, says it’s vital people have access to comprehensive sexual health information from a young age.
“The age for someone’s first sexual activity varies greatly from person to person, but being equipped with the information early helps everyone make the right decisions for them,” she said.
“The accessibility of STI checks for young people cannot be stressed enough. Young people, especially in teen years, do not feel STI checks are accessible to them, and there is a great deal of stigma around accessing them, especially when living with families who would not support them to access these services.
“This can have negative effects when it comes to young people’s exposure to STIs, when services are not accessible for them.”
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