ΕΟΔΥ reports increase in cases of gonorrhea and syphilis in Greece

Over the past two years, Greece has seen an alarming increase in sexually transmitted diseases, particularly syphilis and gonorrhea.

Some statistics

This is an important public health issue, as STDs can have serious consequences not only for people’s general health, but also for their reproductive, sexual and mental health.

According to the World Health Organization, every year approximately a million people on the planet become infected with sexually transmitted diseases, and most of them can be asymptomatic. More than 500 million people have contracted genital herpes, and HPV (human papillomavirus) infection is associated with 311,000 deaths from cervical cancer each year.

More than 30 types of different bacteria, viruses and parasites are transmitted through sexual contact (vaginal, anal or oral contact). Some can be transmitted from mother to baby – during pregnancy, childbirth or breastfeeding. The four most common STIs are: gonorrhea, syphilis, chlamydia and trichomonas. There are appropriate medications for their treatment; all diseases can be completely cured.

Sexually transmitted diseases in Greece

A significant increase in the incidence of STDs is observed both at the European level and in Greece, reports ΕΟΔΥ. In the USA from 2017 to 2021. there was an overall increase in STDs of approximately 7%. During 2020-2021, syphilis cases increased by 28.6% and gonorrhea by 4.6%. Reports from the European Center for Disease Control and Prevention for 2021 show that there is a significant increase in cases of syphilis and gonorrhea, of the order of 7 and 13.7 new diagnoses per 100,000 population.

In Greece, as reflected in the Annual Epidemiological Reports of the Department of Τμήματος ΣΜΝ του ΕΟΔΥ, during the period 2020-2022 an increase in cases of early syphilis was recorded by 113.36% and cases of gonorrhea by 120.73%. In 2022, there were 8.26 new diagnoses of syphilis per 100,000 population and 3.45 new diagnoses of gonorrhea:

• 93.04% of detected syphilis carriers were men, aged from 25 to 64 years; in 72.16% of cases, the mode of transmission was associated with sexual contact between men.
• 95.86% of gonorrhea carriers were also men, aged from 25 to 44 years, the transmission routes were different – both with other men (47.24%) and with women (46.41%).

Syphilis and gonorrhea are reliable indicators of the incidence of other STDs. So it appears that “risky” sexual behavior is expanding and affecting a larger portion of the population, writes CNN Greece. This makes STDs a public health priority, necessitating control and prevention of transmission.

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