A syphilis outbreak has gripped Ireland as there has been a massive 43% jump in cases this year.
Nearly 80% of infections have been reported in 2021 have been in Dublin, Kildare, and Wicklow.
Dr Derek Freedman, a specialist in STIs, has recommended keeping track of sexual partners using Excel.
He said: "What really we should be looking at today is the concept of quality sex - know the person you’re with, and at least have their name and mobile phone number. Start off with a condom until you know them well.
"If you’ve a lot of partners, put them in Excel [document] so at least if there is a problem you can get back and tell them there has been a problem."
He told Newstalk that the best way to protect yourself from an infection is to practice safe sex.
The outbreak has become so dire that St James hospital opened a walk-in STI testing clinic a couple of months ago.
Dr Naomi Petty-Saphon, who is a specialist in public health medicine, said that cases of syphilis had been rising before the pandemic.
There was a decrease during the lockdown in early 2020 but numbers started increasing again with nearly 500 cases of early infectious syphilis being reported this year to date.
She said most infections are being reported in people between the ages of 25 and 34 with the majority of the cases being men.
She added: "But we’re seeing an increase in cases among women.
"There are a number of ways you can contract it, including unprotected oral, vaginal and anal sex.
"You can also get it from skin-to-skin contact with a syphilis sore, and it can also be passed from mother to child during pregnancy."
Symptoms to look out for
Common symptoms of secondary syphilis are:
- A non-itchy rash can occur anywhere on the body (often on the palms of the hands or soles of the feet)
- Flu-like symptoms; tiredness, headaches, joint pains, fever
- Hair loss
- Lymphadenopathy
- Painful eyes or blurring of vision
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