A Dublin based doctor has said that Ireland is "riddled with sex diseases", and that rates for STI's in Ireland is even worse than in the UK.

Dr Derek Freedman, a specialist in sexual health and sexually transmitted infections, spoke on George Hook’s show High Noon on Newstalk FM and said that people nowadays are going to chemsex parties and often get with up to eight people a night.

This week it was revealed that in 2016, there was a 97% rise in syphilis diagnoses in the UK since 2012, and latest Irish figures show that 51.2% of Chlamydia infections were among people aged 15 to 24 years.

“Last year the amount of syphilis year-on-year increased by 20% and gonorrhea went up by 50%. We have even worse figures", Dr Freedman said.

“I suppose you would have to say that sex is like any sport - the more you play it and the harder you play it, the more likely you are to get injured.”

“What we’re looking at now is a lot of partying, we’re looking at a lot of internet connections.

“We’re looking also at a lot of chemsex, where people take drugs to enhance their sexual performance; they go to chemsex parties and they could have six or eight partners in a night.”

New, less common types of STIs are also on the rise in Ireland, with a 42.9% increase in 2016 of Trichomoniasis, a parasitic infection which can lead to pain and discomfort and is more common in women.

READ NEXT: People Can Now Have Their Say On New Clamping Regulations