There has been an outbreak of sexually transmitted diseases on the University of Limerick campus.
According to The Limerick Leader, all students in UL received an email after 11am on Wednesday morning warning them of the outbreak of Gonorrhea and Chlamydia on campus.
Students received the “urgent alert” from the Student Health Centre which has confirmed that they notification is genuine.
The Clare Herald has obtained a copy of the email which reads “The Student Health Centre has been notified that there is an outbreak of Gonorrhea and Chlamydia on campus. These are sexually transmitted diseases as a result of unprotected anal, vaginal or oral sex. It is possible to have these conditions without having any type of symptoms. If you have had unprotected sex or have any concerns we would strongly advise you to contact the Student Health Centre or your GP.”
Dr Bernadette Walsh, Director of Student Services at UL told The Clare Herald “This year, the Student Health Centre has been proactively screening for STIs and this may account for the increased levels of detection. According to the most up-to-date figures that we have access to, there have been 97 cases of gonorrhoea in counties Clare, Limerick and Tipperary during 2016. 14 of these are associated with this campus, which consists of approximately 15,000 students.
“We have taken the proactive step, working closely with the HSE, of sending out a strongly-worded message to our student community alerting them to this public health issue because we take the wellbeing of our students very seriously. The health of all students is paramount. Therefore, we would advise any student who may have a concern about any element of their mental or physical health to seek appropriate medical treatment,”
Individuals who feel they may be at risk of having contracted a sexually transmitted disease are advised to contact their local GP.