Christmas party attendees have been urged to take precautions over the festive season amid a worrying surge in cases of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) across Ireland.

As public health records show continual increases in chlamydia, gonorrhoea, herpes, syphilis and HIV, HSE officials have urged people to take care of their sexual health with Christmas traditionally proving a time of high risk given increased alcohol and drug consumption.

The HSE directs people to, “not have any form of sex” if any sign of an infection, cuts or sores in the genital area appear, and advises getting tested for STIs even if no symptoms show.

It also advises that condoms “reduce”, not eliminate, the risk of getting an STI and it notes that some STIs are passed on merely by “skin-to-skin contact”.

Detections of STIs traditionally surge at Irish hospitals and clinics between January and April – with doctors directly linking the spike to increased end-of-year sexual activity.

In some cases, the rate of detection and treatment is doubled in February and March compared with the rest of the year.