HIV is no longer feared by many as a deadly disease because it is now easily treatable. The risk behavior during sex has therefore apparently increased again. At least that is what the high numbers of new infections for sexually transmitted diseases indicate.
Without a condom it is risky
Physicians describe people with sexual risk behavior as people who have a lot of sex with different partners and who do so unprotected, i.e. without a condom. “In general, we see an increase in various sexually transmitted diseases, such as syphilis, gonorrhea, chlamydia infections, in groups of people with risk behavior,” explains Georg Stary from the University Clinic for Dermatology in Vienna and Chairman of the Austrian Society for Sexually Transmitted Diseases and Dermatological Microbiology.
That demonstrate such as the number of new syphilis infections, which according to the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control (ecdc) have risen across Europe; especially in men who have sex with men. Between 2010 and 2020 there was an approximate increase from around 5,000 to up to 16,000 cases, which means that the numbers more than tripled.
Diseases promote infertility
In the case of heterosexual people, the number of newly registered syphilis cases remains constant at around 2,000 per year, but also too high, according to Georg Stary. Heterosexually oriented people should therefore not feel safe, warns Georg Stary. Especially when you consider the danger of HPV infections, or chlamydia, which are considered the most common infectious cause of infertility. Here, too, the numbers are too high, according to Stary.
Anyone who has unprotected sex can become infected with various diseases, including monkeypox, which is currently the focus of media attention. In most cases, however, monkeypox will go away on its own, unlike syphilis, chlamydia or gonorrhea. “Antibiotic therapy is necessary because otherwise it could become inflamed,” says Georg Stary. Such diseases could also last longer and affect different organs in the body.
HIV remains constant
According to Georg Stary, the HIV numbers in Europe remain constant. Maybe also because there is now a pill that you can take as a precaution so that you don’t get infected in the first place. However, for all sexually transmitted diseases, Georg Stary recommends testing yourself regularly and using condoms. There is also a vaccination against HPV.