You’re more likely to get these STIs than ever before
The number of people contracting sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) has risen by as much as 100% in the past year.
The new figures for gay and bisexual men show a very sharp rise in already common STDs.
Rates of gonorrhea are up by 100%, while there’s been a 56 percent increase in syphilis and a 47 percent jump in rectal chlamydia compared with figures from 2013.
The figures for the last of two years were compiled by France Public Health ahead of World AIDS Day.
The new figures show that there were about 6,000 newly diagnosed cases of HIV in France during 2015, with 43% of those among men who have sex with men.
The numbers of new HIV infections have been at similar levels for a number of years, showing no signs of a decline.
The health report said the figures were due to high-risk sexual behaviours, with medical professionals criticised for failing to provide sufficient tests and awareness of the risks.
The report, compiled with public health officials in France, has called for better efforts for prevention.
“The lack of decline in new HIV positive cases among [gay men] … the increase of STD infections and the augmentation of risky behavior constitute a strong set of indicators that prevention must be pursued among this population using all available tools,” the report said.
“That is the major challenge of the current campaign targeting men who have sex with men.”
France is not alone in its surge in rates of STDs.
A STD Surveillance Report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that rates of chlamydia, gonorrhea and syphilis in the United States had risen between 2014 and 2015 to an all-time high.
STDs cost the U.S. healthcare system about $16 billion a year, with big costs incurred when infections go undiagnosed.
Thursday December 1 marks World AIDS Day, when campaigners and and politicians from around the world come together to recognise the challenges faced and tackle stigma against those with HIV and AIDS.
