Confirmed cases of sexually transmitted infections have increased by about a third in recent months as COVID-19 restrictions have been eased.

Figures compiled by the GU Clinic at Mater Dei Hospital show a spike in sexually transmitted infections (STIs) since the government started relaxing some of the restrictive measures in spring.

The spike also coincides with an increase in patients being handled by the clinic as the state hospital’s operations return to normal. 

“We have noticed a recent increase of bacterial STIs, mainly gonorrhoea, chlamydia and syphilis, with a spike in March 2021,” Valeska Padovese, who runs the clinic said.

It seems members of the public are "more likely to wear a COVID mask than a condom these days," a member of the clinic medical staff remarked.

As lockdown tightened, STIs declined

One year of data compiled by the clinic shows that, on average, confirmed cases of sexually transmitted infections stood at just over 200 monthly this time last year. The monthly average then dipped to below 150 monthly cases over the course of a few months as the country went into a soft lockdown to prevent the spread of the pandemic.

However, once the government started to ease the restrictions and the anti-coronavirus vaccine roll-out was in full swing, confirmed cases at the clinic shot back up to pre-lockdown figures.

Times of Malta had first reported on the correlation between sexual activity, infections and restrictive social measures in May 2020, when reported infections dipped as people stayed indoors.

GU clinic staffers last week said that, during the pandemic, they had continued testing patients showing STI symptoms as well as a few asymptomatic patients.

This, they said, was why there was still a relatively high prevalence of infections diagnosed during the lockdown months.

Minor outbreaks from group sex parties

Meanwhile, medical staff working at the clinic also remarked on new emerging trends in Malta’s sexual behaviour. In particular, they raised concerns over group sex and swingers’ gatherings, in which couples swap sexual partners or have sex with multiple partners.

Staffers said they were coming across minor outbreaks from such activity and warned the public to always practise basic sexual health safety, chiefly the use of protection and testing. This was especially important for those who had active or very active sexual lives, they said.  

Another concern for the clinic is the spread of STIs, mostly gonorrhoea, among local sex workers. Sex work in the country is a growing concern for public health authorities.

In 2019, Times of Malta had reported that more than 500 men who requested an STI test at the clinic had admitted to having had sex with women employed in massage parlours that operate as brothels across the island.