Per day more than a Million people with sexually transmitted diseases to be stuck in the world, according to the world health organization (WHO). Accordingly, there was in the group of 15 – to 49-Year-olds in the year 2016, approximately 376 million new infections with Trichomonas, chlamydia, gonococcus or Syphilis. Often a person with multiple pathogens infecting at the same time or different times of the year, writes the WHO.
According to the report, the number of Infected in 2016, was five percent higher than the final estimates, 2012. The Figures relate only to trichomoniasis, chlamydia, gonococcal and Syphilis. In addition, hundreds of millions of people are diagnosed according to the WHO annually by Herpes or Human papilloma virus (HPV), which are also transmitted during Sex. Also infections with HIV were not included in the estimates with.
“This is a silent and dangerous epidemic,” said one of the authors, the Physician Melanie Taylor. Each of the Fourth carrying one of the four investigated strains. Although about the same number of women and men were infected each year. Because the bacteria are in women, more persistent, were affected significantly more than men.
The four diseases in Detail
By far the most common according to the report, infections with the trichomonads. They make up more than 40 percent of the cases and amounted to 156 million infections per year. In the case of the disease single-celled parasite lead to inflammation of the genital organs and urinary tract. Many of those Affected – especially men – have no symptoms and transmit the disease to their partners without knowing it.
In Germany, no reporting obligation exists. In studies in Central and Northern Europe were affected, with 0.3 to 1.5 percent of women, comparatively few people. Worldwide, 5.3% of women and 0.6 percent of men with Trichomonas infection live in the WHO estimates. In Africa, 11.7 per cent of the women are infected.
The second most common diseases due to chlamydia, when you counted the WHO 127.2 million infections. Here, too, symptoms such as vaginal discharge or Burning during urination late or not at all occur often, so that may spread the pathogens go unnoticed. If left untreated, the risk that chlamydia can trigger inflammation, which can lead over a long period of time for both men and women to infertility.
In the WHO-defined European Region – which extends to Tajikistan on the Chinese border – are the chlamydia of the four investigated diseases are most widespread: at 3.2 per cent of women and 2.2 percent of men. The world is 3.8 percent of the women and 2.7 percent of men are affected.
In the case of gonococci – the pathogens of gonorrhea or colloquially known as the clap – there are in the world every year 86,9 million infections. The pathogens affect mainly the mucous membranes of the urinary tract and sex organs, but also the conjunctiva and the pharynx. Even if the disease is not normally fatal, it can sometimes cause complications such as blood poisoning and infertility.
Also in the case of gonorrhea each Contracting not developed, automatically complaints. In men, the infection makes approximately nine out of ten cases, noticeable, and for females only at the half. Men usually suffer initially under a slight to severe discharge that can be accompanied by pain when urinating. In women, there is initially often to a cervical inflammation, and less frequently to urinary tract inflammation, with pain going to the toilet.
Syphilis: second most common cause of death for babies
In the case of Syphilis were among the researchers in the world to 6.3 million cases. Here, too, the pathogens penetrate the skin on the mucosa or skin cracks in the body. In Affected individuals, may form an ulcer, to include follow skin rashes, and fever. The disease is not treated, the process takes place in three stages. In the past, which can occur without treatment for several years after the infection, cause damage to the pathogen in the worst case, vessels and internal organs.
Alone in 2016, approximately 200,000 babies have died shortly before or shortly after birth, because their mothers were infected with Syphilis, said in the report. Thus, Syphilis is, after Malaria, the second most common cause of death for babies, said the WHO author Taylor.
Under gonorrhea and Syphilis for less than one percent of the world’s population, according to the WHO. In Germany, the number of Syphilis has been increasing for years-cases are mainly affected men who have Sex with men. To the absence of chlamydia and gonorrhea the exact Figures from Germany.
Actually, all four of the diseases are curable. In some countries there is a lack of Benzathine Penicillin to treat Syphilis. In addition, gonococcal (gonorrhea-causing agent) no longer respond to common antibiotics. The access to testing needs to be improved, calls for the WHO. Also need to be better about the diseases, its security, about the need for consistent use of condoms during Sex.