If you test positive for an STI like gonorrhea, chlamydia, or syphilis in Ireland, the treatment pathway is straightforward, confidential, and free.
🏥 Where You Are Treated
If you tested at a public clinic (e.g., GMHS or GUIDE): You will be asked to return to the same clinic. They will dispense the medication (pills or injections) directly to you during your appointment. You do not need to go to a separate pharmacy.
If you tested via the SH:24 postal service: The SH:24 clinical team will text or call you. They will refer you to your nearest public HSE STI clinic to receive the physical treatment.
Cost: STI treatment in the public HSE system is 100% free. You will not be charged for the doctor's consultation or the medication itself.
💉 Treatment Format
- Chlamydia: Typically treated with a short course of oral antibiotics (like doxycycline).
- Gonorrhea: Usually requires an antibiotic injection (e.g., ceftriaxone) in the buttocks, often accompanied by oral antibiotics.
- Syphilis: The standard treatment is an injection of long-acting penicillin.
💬 Anonymous Partner Notification
Irish public clinics make it easy to inform recent sexual partners that they need to get tested, without the stress of a direct confrontation.
- Clinic Contact Tracers: You can provide the phone numbers of your recent partners to the clinical team. They will send an automated, anonymous text message advising the recipient to get tested. Your name will never be mentioned.
- SH:24: The postal testing portal features built-in tools that allow you to trigger anonymous notification texts directly from your dashboard when viewing your results.
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