PONTIANAK NEWS – The number of cases of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) in Europe will reach a record in 2024, according to the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC).
In the Netherlands, the number of gonorrhea cases increased from 6,826 cases in 2020 to 13,952 cases in 2024. Meanwhile, syphilis cases rose from 1,526 to 2,173 cases in the same period.
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Overall in Europe, reported cases of gonorrhea have tripled in the last 10 years to 106,331 cases. Syphilis cases almost doubled with a total of 45,557 cases recorded.
ECDC said that one of the causes of the increase in cases was the delay in patients seeing a doctor and tests carried out after symptoms appeared. Apart from that, a number of countries are considered not optimal in their efforts to prevent the spread of STIs.
The organization urged countries in Europe to immediately take “urgent action” to curb the rising number of cases.
If left untreated, STI infections can cause serious complications, such as chronic pain, infertility, and problems with the heart and nervous system in cases of syphilis.
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“Most disturbingly, between 2023 and 2024, there will be an almost two-fold increase in congenital syphilis, an infection that is transmitted from mother to newborn and can cause lifelong complications,” said Bruno Ciancio of the ECDC.
