A group of researchers has warned that Europe is facing an all-time high in rates of sexually transmitted infections (STIs), which is why they have asked that countries harmonize control systems among themselves and guarantee free access to treatments. This is the conclusion reached by a team led by Dr. Oriol Mitjà, from the Fight Against Infections Foundation and the Germans Trias Hospital in Badalona (Barcelona), who has worked in collaboration with the AIDS Research Institute (IrsiCaixa). ) and the Center for Epidemiological Studies on sexually transmitted infections and HIV/AIDS of Catalonia (CEEISCAT).
In a series of four articles published by The Lancet Regional Health – Europe, researchers have analyzed the situation in 49 European countries, after having collected epidemiological data on different STIs. The objective of the work was to identify general and specific challenges, based on the study of the current epidemiology in Europe, ongoing prevention strategies, approaches for the management of asymptomatic infections and state-of-the-art treatments.
In Europe, these diseases have continued to grow: The European region of the World Health Organization (WHO) recorded an all-time high of 17 million reported cases of bacterial STIs in 2019, along with a 49% increase in new HIV diagnoses between 2010 and 2019, reaching a total of 1.5 million cases.
Recent events on the continent, such as the COVID-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine, have further jeopardized progress towards the 2030 Agenda goal of eliminating the HIV, viral hepatitis and STI epidemics. In this sense, the study's researchers have warned that, in the midst of the resurgence of these diseases, Europe is facing an all-time high in STI rates that requires "immediate action and collaboration."
The study reveals significant variations in the notification of bacterial STIs (such as gonorrhea, mycoplasma or syphilis) among the 49 countries analyzed, since the northern and western regions of the continent show higher rates per 100,000 inhabitants, possibly due to the existence of more rigorous surveillance and case reporting.
The most vulnerable populations are migrants, refugees, sex workers and men who have sex with men, all of whom sometimes have limited access to health services, which is why researchers identify them as priority groups in control policies.
The conclusions of these four documents highlight the need to strengthen public health services, harmonize surveillance and notification systems, promote easy and free access to prevention and treatment strategies, and address structural determinants such as universal access to health care systems. health and reducing the stigma associated with STIs.
In parallel, researchers emphasize the importance of maintaining sexual education and promoting condom use along with other biomedical interventions. The authors see it as necessary to promote equity in access to pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) for HIV, which has been introduced in 38 countries but remains underused, especially in central and eastern Europe.
In the field of vaccines, researchers recognize advances in the control of viral hepatitis A and B, as well as human papillomavirus (HPV). For specialists, the future lies in controlling gonorrhea through cross-immunity generated by the meningococcus B vaccine and mRNA-based vaccines for immunization against HIV.
Researchers also emphasize the need to apply new therapeutic approaches in bacterial STIs to avoid growing antimicrobial resistance. Some proposals include using rapid diagnostic tests to reduce the overuse of antibiotics in cases where the infection is not confirmed, molecular tests to identify drug-resistant pathogens, and repurposing old antibiotics for the treatment of STIs.
