Sexually transmitted diseases break infection records in 2019

A study, published in the journal “The Lancet European Region for Health” And by Triaspujol Hospital, Germany Badalona (Barcelona) conducts a comprehensive review of new and re-emerging sexually transmitted infections on the African continent, identifying general and specific challenges and analyzing four key aspects: Current epidemiology in Europe, ongoing prevention strategies , management of asymptomatic infections, and the latest generation of treatments. Specifically, epidemiological data were collected for 49 of the 53 countries in the region.

Reports reviewed by ABC show that Europe is facing “All-time high” The incidence of these diseases is why experts are sending a distress signal to health authorities. They are calling for a recalibration of some now-outdated strategies and for “immediate action and cooperation” to stop the sexually transmitted infection epidemic.

The study’s conclusions were coordinated by researchers at the Trias i Pujol Hospital in Germany, Oriol Mediain partnership with the AIDS Research Institute (Ilsi Keksa) and the Catalan Center for Research on the Epidemiology of Sexually Transmitted Infections and HIV/AIDS (Seth Cat)suggesting that northern and western regions of Europe have higher incidence rates per 100,000 inhabitants, “possibly due to the presence of more stringent surveillance and case notification systems.”

They also revealed that such as Migrants, refugees, sex workers and men who have sex with men”, “All people with limited access to medical services have become key groups for control policies. “

The coordinator of the expert group and infectious diseases expert explained on TV3: “The number of bacterial infections in Europe doubled in ten years (2010 to 2019), while in Catalonia they increased by 5 to 10 times.” Oriol Medea. Furthermore, it emphasizes that phenomena such as the COVID-19 pandemic or war complicate efforts to eliminate the HIV, viral hepatitis and sexually transmitted infection epidemics in the 2030 Agenda.

According to reported infection numbers, Spain In 2019, 38.54 cases of chlamydia, 21.79 cases of gonorrhea and 10.4 cases of syphilis were reported per 100,000 inhabitants; similar figures to other countries, e.g. France (Chlamydia infection rate per 100,000 inhabitants: 35.40; gonorrhea infection rate: 5.61; syphilis infection rate: 1.68), but lower than the test results of the following countries: Norway (533.88 chlamydia; 31.98 gonorrhea; 3.85 syphilis per 100,000 inhabitants) or Sweden (143.2 chlamydia infections per 100,000 inhabitants; 45.3 gonorrhea infections; 8.4 syphilis infections per 100,000 inhabitants). Experts attribute the increase in notifications in these countries to “their robust infection surveillance and control systems.”

Research data corroborates statistics collected by the ministry in its latest report Epidemiological surveillance of sexually transmitted infections in SpainThe ABC was consulted for the report, which covers the evolution of the three main infections into 2021. According to statistics, syphilis cases increased from 3,187 cases in 2010 (7 cases per 100,000 inhabitants) to 6,613 cases in 2021 (13.97 cases per 100,000 inhabitants). The number of gonorrhea infections has also surged, increasing sevenfold from 2,306 cases in 2010 (5.1 cases per 100,000 inhabitants) to 15,338 cases in 2021 (32.41 cases per 100,000 inhabitants), and the chlamydia infection rate has also increased from 2,306 cases in 2010 (5.1 cases per 100,000 inhabitants) The number of cases increased from 7,239 (18.06 per 100,000 inhabitants) to 20.5 in July 2021 (48.36 per 100,000 inhabitants). Catalonia

According to a report published by the Ministry of Health, the community has the highest incidence of sexually transmitted infections in Spain. In 2021, the community reported 139 cases of chlamydia and 87 cases of gonorrhea per 100,000 inhabitants, well below the Spanish average for both infections (48.36 cases of chlamydia and 32.41 cases of gonorrhea per 100,000 inhabitants).

The authors of a study on the sexually transmitted infection situation in Europe, led by Trias Hospital in Germany, believe that current strategies to deal with antimicrobials "They’re falling behind," This emphasizes the need for new methods, such as rapid diagnostic tests, to reduce the overuse of antibiotics in cases of undiagnosed infection.

“Coordinated Monitoring System”

The conclusions of the four articles on which this study is based highlight the need to: Strengthen public health servicesas well as coordinate surveillance and notification systems to facilitate easy, free access to prevention and treatment strategies.

Address structural determinants such as universal access to health systems and reduce stigma Issues related to sexually transmitted diseases are also among the conclusions of the report, which insists that implementation of the recommendations is critical to achieving the HIV and sexually transmitted disease goals of the 2030 Agenda.Health care gaps and resource shortages in some countries have been identified as Barriers to prevention strategies and controlled in Europe.

Promote condom use

Those responsible for the study stressed the importance of maintaining sex education and promoting condom use, among other biomedical interventions. “It is necessary to promote Equitable access to pre-exposure prophylaxis The technology has been introduced in 38 of the region’s 53 countries but remains underutilized, particularly in Central and Eastern European countries, Germany’s Trias Hospital said in a statement.

In this sense, remember cabotewePrEP, the first long-acting antiretroviral drug, has the potential to revolutionize HIV because it is given as an injection every two months rather than a daily pill.Experts also emphasized Progress in the field of vaccines. “With them, progress has been made in the control of viral hepatitis A and B and HPV,” they note. Regarding strategies to control gonorrhea, they assure that “the future lies in cross-immunity generated by meningococcal type B vaccines and based on mRNA HIV immune vaccine to control the disease.”».

The study’s authors also warned “Antibiotic resistance New therapeutic management is needed. » The therapeutic management of bacterial STIs faces challenges due to increasing antimicrobial resistance and, in some cases, a lack of solutions due to a lack of scientific research in this area. Current strategies to combat antimicrobial resistance are lagging behind, emphasize the need new methodsuch as rapid diagnostic tests to reduce overuse of antibiotics in cases of undiagnosed infection, molecular tests to identify drug-resistant pathogens, and Antibiotic reuse An ancient method of treating sexually transmitted infections,” they concluded.