Irish people are catching and spreading more and more sexually-transmitted infections, a new European report has concluded. The European Centre for Disease Control & Prevention says the number of cases of Gonorrhoea has increased by four times during the ten years from 2003 to 2013, while reported cases of Chlamydia and Syphilis have doubled.

Chlamydia has proven to be the most frequently diagnoses STI in Ireland, with the number of cases increasing from more than 2,800 to more than 6,200 in the space of ten years. But medical professions expect that the number of Irish people infected with the disease is probably significantly higher, as there is often a lack of symptoms associated with the infection.

The rising rates of Gonorrhoeal infection has been observed right across Europe, the report said, and suggests strong evidence of sexually-active people continuing to practice unsafe sex. This results in a higher risk of contracting other STIS, including HIV – which is at its highest level in Ireland in five years.

At the National Ploughing Championships in Ratheniska, Co Laois, Newstalk reporter Henry McKean spoke to a number of farmers and visitors to the festival about the awareness of sexually-transmitted infections among members of the agricultural community. You can listen back to his report below: