Chlamydia, syphilis… the spread of sexually transmitted infections in Europe is alarming

The European Center for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) is sounding the alarm. In its latest annual report, the ECDC reports that in 2022, chlamydia cases increased by 16% to 216,508 cases, syphilis cases by 34% (35,391 cases) and gonorrhea cases by 34% (35,391 cases). % with 70,881 cases in the European Union.

“The increase is as surprising as it is worrying,” said Andrea Amon, director of the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control. “These numbers, while significant, probably represent only the tip of the iceberg,” she said.

Also increase in France

An underestimation that ECDC’s director attributes to differences in screening practices but also in access to sexual health services in the 27 countries covered by the agency.

In France, diagnoses of chlamydia infections, gonorrhea and syphilis have increased in recent years, according to Sainte-Publique France. With regard to chlamydia, the incidence rate has been increasing since 2014 and is now higher among men (103 cases per 100,000 inhabitants) than among women (88 cases per 100,000 inhabitants), among whom it is stabilizing.

Syphilis increased by 27% compared to 2019

Regarding gonococcal infections seen in general medicine consultations in mainland France, 29,300 cases were reported in 2022, while the estimated number of cases in 2021 was 21,750 cases, with men representing three quarters of cases.

Finally, according to Sainte-Publique France, there was also an increase in syphilis in France in 2022. The number of people aged 15 and over diagnosed with syphilis at least once a year in the private sector is estimated to be around 6,000, an increase of 27% compared to 2019. The incidence rate reached 10 per 100,000 people aged 15 years and older, increasing since then. 2020, and more clearly in 2022, especially among men, most affected by this STI. 26-49 year olds have the highest incidence rate.

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ECDC calls for improved prevention

Faced with this “alarming increase” in STIs in Europe, the ECDC said in a press release “there is an urgent need to increase awareness of the transmission of STIs and to improve prevention, access to screening and effective treatment to address this public health problem.” the challenge

Another way is to “prioritize sex education, expand access to screening and treatment services, and fight the stigma associated with STIs”, Andrea Amon emphasized in a press release, encouraging the systematic use of condoms during intercourse to decrease. transmission of this infection.

How to get tested?

As service-public.fr points out, your general practitioner or gynecologist can advise you and prescribe an STI screening test. Depending on the infection, different types of tests can allow screening and diagnosis: clinical examination of the genitals, local sampling or culture, or blood tests.

Screening can be done in laboratories or in free information, screening and diagnosis centers (CEGIDD). The law provides for the reimbursement of screening for STIs other than HIV without a prescription and their full coverage for people under 26 years of age.