An outreach worker discusses health issues with young people in Cambodia.
Sexually transmitted infections
It is estimated that annually there are 357 million new cases of four curable sexually transmitted infections among people aged 15–49 years. The prevalence of some viral STIs like herpes simplex type 2 and human papillomavirus is similarly high
The burden of morbidity and mortality worldwide resulting from STIs compromises quality of life, as well as sexual and reproductive health and newborn and child health. Sexually transmitted infections also facilitate indirectly the sexual transmission of HIV and cause cellular changes that precede some cancers. Sexually transmitted infections impose a substantial strain on the budgets of both households and national health systems in middle- and low-income countries and have an adverse effect on the overall well-being of individuals.
SEA Region countries accounted for more than a third of new STI infections globally in the mid to late 1990s. The incidence and prevalence of curable STIs, notably ulcerative chancroid and syphilis, were extremely high and closely linked to rapid early spread of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) in urban areas and along well-travelled migrant and trucking networks. Due to large scale interventions to reduce HIV/STI transmission among key and bridging populations, SEA Region’s share of new STI infections globally has declined to 11% in 2012, less than a third of what it was in the late 1990s.
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