A bloc health agency blames riskier sexual behavior post-pandemic.
Europe has seen a “troubling” rise in the number of cases of sexually transmitted infections (STIs), an EU agency has warned.
The Annual Epidemiological Report published by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) on Thursday revealed the findings for 2022 for the member states of the European Union and the European Economic Area (Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway).
According to the document, across the EU/EEA, cases of bacterial infections such as syphilis, gonorrhea, and chlamydia saw a “troubling” and “significant” increase compared to 2021. Gonorrhea cases rose by 48%, syphilis cases by 34%, and chlamydia cases by 16%, the paper states. The report did not provide figures for viral STIs such as HIV and Hepatitis.
Sexual health education, expanded access to testing and treatment services, as well as fighting the stigma associated with STIs have been named as ways to address the issue by ECDC Director Andrea Ammon.