A higher than expected rate of Chlamydia infection has been detected in sexually active young men aged between 17 and 30 in Limerick.
The study, which is published in a specialist journal on sexually transmitted infections by the British Medical Journal, was undertaken at the Mid-West Regional Hospital.
It highlights that men with more than one sexual partner in the past six months, or with more than eight sexual partners in a lifetime, are at significant risk.
The study put the infection rate among men surveyed at 5.9%, which was surprising to researchers who had previously predicted a prevalence of 3.5%.
The rate of infection is on par with a previous Danish study but higher than studies in the UK.
The infection is often seen as a women's health issue with previous unpublished studies suggesting an infection rate of 5% among Irish women.
The Limerick-based research advises that screening for Chlamydia could lead to a significant improvement in public health.
The study examined 186 men attending the University of Limerick Sports Centre, and 207 men attending orthopaedic outpatient clinics at the Regional Hospital.
