Politics and Society
| Iceland Monitor
| Tue 19 Apr 2016
| 13.03 GMT
Cases of gonorrhoea in Iceland rising fast
Less condom use maybe be behind the new worrying figures. Photo: Iceland Monitor/Eggert
Almost as many people in Iceland have been diagnosed with gonorrhoea so far this year than in the whole of 2015, according to latest figures.
Cases of gonorrhoea appear to be going through the roof – while 39 people in Iceland were diagnosed with the sexually transmitted disease (STD) in 2015, the figure so far in 2016 is already 30.
“We do not know for certain why this is happening,” says epidemiologist Dr Þórólfur Guðnason.
“One possible explanation is that people are using condoms less,” he warns, adding that cases of syphilis in Iceland are also on the rise.
