The HIV epidemic is not slowing down and other sexually transmitted infections are exploding. Gonorrhea progresses by 100% in some populations.
Chlamydia, gonococcus, syphilis… Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) are not limited to HIV alone. The virus is of more concern, and rightly so. But the lack of protection, by not wearing a condom, has a less publicized consequence: the explosion of other STIs. The Weekly Epidemiological Bulletin (BEH) of Public Health France testifies to this. this november 29. This latest issue is dedicated to World AIDS Day, which takes place this 1er December. He reminds us that co-infections are frequent in HIV-positive people.
Lasting repercussions
81,000 cases diagnosed in 2015. Chlamydia is by far the most common sexually transmitted disease in France. They continue to grow at a cruising pace: between 2013 and 2015, the number of infections increased by 10%. As in the case of HIV, men are the most affected by this progression. But in 2015, the majority of diagnoses focused on a female and rather young population – from 15 to 29 years old.
The chlamydia epidemic is silent, and that is the main source of concern. 45% of patients have no symptoms of the disease. In the absence of support, the contaminations continue. But the after-effects can also be long-lasting: infertility can occur.
Frequent co-infections
One form of infection can be particularly severe, rectal lymphogranulomatosis venereal disease, caused by an invasive strain of chlamydia. She knows a real explosion (47%). Other rectal infections with this bacteria have almost doubled. The profile is particular: almost all of the patients are male and co-infections with HIV are present in three out of four cases.
But it is gonorrhea that has experienced the greatest increase since 2013. Infections have climbed 100% among men who have sex with men (MSM). It is also the first population to be infected with HIV. Heterosexual women also bear the brunt of a significant increase (32%). Co-infections with HIV remain marginal (11%) but resistance to antibiotics is increasing. The future therefore looks bleak in this regard.
Syphilis threatens
The syphilis epidemic, for its part, no longer affects only MSM. A very strong increase is observed among heterosexual men (75%) and women (85%). The workforce remains “relatively low”, underlines all the same the BEH. The MSM population, on the other hand, bears the brunt of the active spread of pale treponema. They represent 84% of diagnoses of early forms. The women reported are rather young. “The level of co-infections with HIV remains very high,” reports the BEH. In fact, a quarter of patients were infected with both the virus responsible for immunodeficiency and treponema.
Faced with these disastrous figures, the conclusion of Public Health France is simple: they show that condom use is far from sufficient among MSM, and transmission is rapid. The same goes for heterosexual youth, where the various STIs are experiencing a major progression. The efforts must therefore not be relaxed. With the arrival on the market of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) – which prevents the transmission of HIV using an antiretroviral drug – an upsurge is expected.
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