AMN / HEALTH DESK WHO in a new report on Tuesday said that sexually transmitted infections (STIs) such as syphilis are on the rise in most regions of the world. UN health agency in its reports said that HIV, viral hepatitis and sexually transmitted infections continue as significant public health challenges globally and cause 2.5 million deaths each year: New syphilis cases among adults aged 15-49 increased by over one million in 2022, reaching eight million, and there were 230,000 syphilis-related deaths.
The highest increases occurred in the Americas and Africa. The report warned that the increase in STIs, combined with insufficient decline in the reduction of new HIV and viral hepatitis infections globally, threatens health targets which are part of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom 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,” he added. Syphilis is one of four curable STIs which together account for over one million infections daily . The others are gonorrhea, chlamydia and trichomoniasis.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, countries saw a surge in both adult and maternal syphilis – 1.1 million cases, and associated congenital syphilis, with 523 cases per 100,000 live births per year. New data also show an increase in multi-r.
