The Minister of Health has just announced free screenings to fight against the resurgence of sexually transmitted infections in France, especially among young people. On this occasion, an assessment of the situation regarding STIs is essential.
- STIs are infections caused by bacteria, viruses and parasites that are transmitted sexually. These infections can affect anyone and are transmitted during unprotected vaginal, oral or anal sex.
- The decreases in the use of screening in 2020, observed for both HIV and bacterial STIs, may raise fears of a delay in diagnosis and a greater circulation of these infections.
“From now on, the possibility of screening will be extended to all sexually transmitted infections to fight as early as possible against the resumption of infections.” This was announced by the Minister of Health, François Braun in daily maintenance 20 minutes Tuesday, September 20. While only screening for the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV, responsible for AIDS) was free up to now, this free now concerns screening for all STIs, without a prescription up to 26 years of age. This measure, in addition to that of the free morning after pill at any age, will be included in the Social Security financing bill for 2023.
STIs are increasing in France
Mr. Braun justifies this measure with an observation: “the increase in sexually transmitted infections, specifically Chlamydia and gonococcus”. Chlamydia (or chlamydia) and gonorrhea (also called “hot-piss”) are two of the four most common STIs, along with trichomoniasis and syphilis. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), more than one million new cases of these four STIs are recorded every day in the world.
According data from Public Health France, these infections have indeed been increasing since the early 2000s. Between 2017 and 2019, the number of diagnoses of chlamydia infection increased by 29%. This increase is more marked among women aged 15 to 24 (+41%) and among men aged 15 to 29 (+45%). The number of gonorrhea diagnoses increased by 21%.
This increase can be explained for two reasons: a reduction in the use of condoms and the improvement of screening tools. A survey conducted in 2021 among 2,000 young people (on average aged 20) by the Heyme student mutual insurance company shows that wearing a condom is indeed far from being systematic, even during penetration: 26% of respondents do not use it “not all the time”. time”, or even “never” when they meet a new partner. Yet it was the wearing of condoms that eradicated chlamydia and gonococcal infections in the 1980s. another Heyme survey from 2019a little less than one out of two students is screened in the event of a change of partner and one out of five students never does so.
STIs can become dangerous when left untreated
The problem is that if these two STIs are treated with antibiotics when diagnosed early, they can become dangerous if left untreated. These can lead to complications like genital pain, arthritis, risk of ectopic pregnancy, and can lead to infertility.
However, without screening, it is difficult to realize that one is infected because these STIs are often asymptomatic. The most common, chlamydia, caused by the bacterium “chlamydia trachomatis”, does not cause symptoms in more than half of the cases. 124,082 cases of chlamydia infection were recorded in 2020 among people aged 15 and over.
According to some more recent data for the year 2020, one might think that the number of STI infections is decreasing. However, this lull is directly linked to the drop in the number of screenings. According to Public Health France, screenings for bacterial STIs in free information, screening and diagnostic centers fell by 30% in 2020 compared to 2019. Health professionals are concerned that, since the confinements , activity has never resumed as before. They therefore fear a snowball effect. Because who says late screening, says late diagnosis: an infected person risks transmitting the disease to more people before realizing that she is herself a carrier of an STI.
