A report indicates that more than half of young people between 15 and 19 years old claim to have had at least one sexual relationship with penetration
Actually in Spain the data for sexually transmitted infections (STIs) are growing alarmingly in young people, but especially in teenagers. At the presentation of the new campaign of Ministry of Health to prevent sexually transmitted infections in young people, the seriousness of the matter was made known.
Mar Vera Garcíapresident of the SEIMC STI study group, explains that, according to the latest survey report in 2020, “more than half of young people between 15 and 19 years, up to 52%,” claimed to have had at least one sexual relationship with penetration. “We are seeing a start at a time earlier in sexual relations,” says Vera.
Regarding the different STIs, such as syphilis, gonorrhea and chlamydiayoung people enter 20 and 24 years are a significantly affected group. With respect to HIV, “In 2022, they registered 2,956 new diagnosesof which 10.6%, in those under 25 years of age”, highlights Victoria Hernando Sebastian, researcher at the National Center for Epidemiology. “We see that the majority of these new diagnoses are grouped in the category of between 20 and 24 years old with 88.6%, and 10% would be between 15 and 19 years old.”
The data show that each of these infections They are mainly through sexual relations. Likewise, the transmission between men who have sex with men has become the main infection mechanism during this time.
Vera García highlights that “half of the 20 million new infections that are diagnosed annually in USA70% of the gonorrhea63% of the chlamydia49% of the disease related to human papilloma virus45% of the accessible type 1 type 2 virus infection at the anogenital level, 26% of those newly diagnosed with infection by the HIV and 20% of the syphilisoccurs in the collective in young people between 15 and 24 years old“.
About syphilis, in 2022 they were notified 8,141 casesin which the 81% of these minors under 25 years of age would be in the 20 to 24 age group and a 18.6% in the group from 15 to 19 years. “We have had 20 years of growth in sexually transmitted infections, in the case of syphilis much more marked in recent years,” indicates the researcher.
Likewise, Hernando adds that in the case of infection by chlamydia trachomatis, in 2022 “more than 26,000 cases were diagnosed, of which 37.6% were in people under 25 years of age”, more than 10,000 cases in this age group. Furthermore, Hernando warns: “Where we see the Higher percentage in the youngest group it is 15 to 19 yearsand it would be around 29%”.
affectation
Ministry of Health
- HIV: 10.6% of new diagnoses in those under 25 years of age.
- Syphilis: 10.2% of cases reported in those under 25 years of age.
- Gonorrhea: 23.8% of cases reported in those under 25 years of age.
- Chlamydia: 37.6% of cases reported in those under 25 years of age.
On the other hand, the 37% of these young people had a delay in diagnosis, which indicates the need to alert the population more about prevention and early detection in this age group.
Vera García emphasizes the “vulnerability” of young people and how this “turns this group into one of the greatest risks for acquire and transmit different sexually transmitted infections.
Prevention
This is why a campaign has been started with the slogan “I am safe sex“, by the Ministry of Health to prevent sexually transmitted infections among young people, which aims make STIs visible among the young population.
Julia del Amodirector of the HIV, STI, Viral Hepatitis and Tuberculosis Control Division, highlighted “that this campaign is part of the strategic plan for the prevention and control of HIV and STIs in Spain, 2021-2030, a plan that incorporates, for the first time, combined prevention against HIV and other STIs”.
This Strategic plan Its “objective is to promote all these actions, avenues of intervention and publicity, which lead us to have a society with a lower burden of these sexually transmitted infections,” emphasizes the director.
