The World Health Organisation on Tuesday said new data shows sexually transmitted diseases are on the rise in most regions.
It warned that though condom protects against gonorrhoea and HIV, it is ineffective against syphilis or genital herpes.
The WHO Director-General, Dr. Tedros Ghebreyesus, who said this on Tuesday during his opening remarks at the media briefing held virtually on global health issues, noted that the highest increases occur in the Region for Americas and the African Region.
Global HIV, viral hepatitis epidemics, and Sexually Transmitted Infections continue to pose significant public health challenges.
Dr. Ghebreyesus said, “New syphilis cases among adults aged 15-49 years increased by nearly one million in 2022, reaching eight million. And there were 230,000 syphilis-related deaths.
“The highest increases occurred in the Region for the Americas and the African Region. New data also show an increase in multi-resistant gonorrhoea.
“As of 2023, out of 87 countries where enhanced gonorrhoea antimicrobial resistance surveillance was conducted, nine countries reported elevated levels of resistance to the last line of treatment for gonorrhoea.”
The WHO boss, however, noted that the organisation updated its recommended treatment to reduce the spread of this multi-resistant gonorrhoea strain.
Earlier, Ghebreyesus said the rising incidence of syphilis raises major concerns.
“Fortunately, there has been important progress on a number of other fronts, including in accelerating access to critical health commodities, including diagnostics and treatment.
“We have the tools required to end these epidemics as public health threats by 2030, but we now need to ensure that, in the context of an increasingly complex world, countries do all they can to achieve the ambitious targets they set themselves”.
On prevention, the organisation said condoms offer one of the most effective methods of protection against STIs, including HIV when used correctly and consistently.
“Although highly effective, condoms do not offer protection for STIs that cause extra-genital ulcers (i.e., syphilis or genital herpes). When possible, condoms should be used in all vaginal and anal sex.
condoms offer one of the most effective methods of protection against Sexually Transmitted Infections, including HIV when used correctly and consistently. But condoms don’t offer protection for syphilis or genital herpes
“Safe and highly effective vaccines are available for two viral STIs: hepatitis B and HPV. These vaccines have represented major advances in STI prevention. By the end of 2023, the HPV vaccine had been introduced as part of routine immunisation programmes in 140 countries, primarily high-and middle-income countries.
“To eliminate cervical cancer as a public health problem globally, high coverage targets for HPV vaccination, screening and treatment of precancerous lesions, and management of cancer must be reached by 2030 and maintained at this high level for decades,” it added.
