2023-10-01 06:13:37
“I have a healthy sexual life, I am not a promiscuous woman. But when I had a cytology test, they told me I was a carrier of the human papillomavirus (HPV). Then when I had a colposcopy, they said she had an injury. I had to undergo treatment. Fortunately I realized it in time.”
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When I was 22 I started to feel irritation around my penis. I felt very scared even though it didn’t hurt. When I went to the doctor he confirmed that he had herpes.
“I began to notice changes in my vaginal discharge. It was like greenish yellow. Then I started noticing traces of blood when I urinated. I started to think that, that year, I had had somewhat disordered sexual behavior and I got very scared. That motivated me to go to the doctor, but I was very afraid. I was diagnosed with gonorrhea and that this STD could cause infections in my genitals, rectum and throat. I was told that I could contract it by having vaginal, anal or oral sex with someone with the same disease. “I never knew who it was.”
“A little over two years ago I had a relationship with an older man. Some time later I started to feel bad, like weak, I got a small open sore or ulcer on my genitals, and my lymph nodes also became swollen. When I told him about it, he downplayed it, but I think that although the relationships were consensual, in these cases there is a form of violence.”
“I am a social worker. I married the boyfriend I was with for six years. I only had sexual relations with him, but I delegated the care to him. Then the symptoms started. I got fever and started losing weight. When I went to the doctor and they took all the tests, the diagnosis was AIDS. At first it was very hard, but then I realized that I had to learn to live with this. Now I am a mother and I work like any other woman. Of course, I take care of myself and I take care of others.”
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Latex condoms arrived in the 1920s.
“At age 22 I started to feel irritation around my penis. I felt very scared even though it didn’t hurt. When I went to the doctor he confirmed that I had herpes. A test confirmed that it was the HSV-2 type, which is usually sexually transmitted. My attitude towards relationships has changed and I now have much more respect for my body and the bodies of others.”
These are just some cases of citizens who experienced this diagnosis firsthand and who, in turn, decided to receive medical attention and change their sexual behavior while respecting their bodies and those of others.
According to the Ministry of Health of Bogotá, sexually transmitted infections (STIs) are a topic of interest in public health in the District due to the negative impact on pregnant women, newborns and the general population, including the high direct and indirect costs that they can lead to failure to diagnose, treat and follow-up, as well as the repercussions for individuals, families and communities.
Why the increase in numbers
There are several factors that influence it. According to the Ministry of Health, the increase in screening capacity for HIV/AIDS in Bogotá has made it possible to detect more of the virus.
The goal for 2024 was to reach 90% of people living with HIV and knowing their diagnosis, 90% accessing treatment and 80% reaching an undetectable viral load. On the other hand, says the entity, the migration phenomenon has had an impact on the increase in cases presented in the capital.
Furthermore, the population’s lack of adherence to prevention actions, due to lack of knowledge or fear of addressing them, continues to impact the problem.
The Public Health Surveillance System (Sivigila) collects and analyzes case records. At this time, there is priority attention to three sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) in the city due to the impact they cause in relation to morbidity and mortality, negative economic consequences derived from the increase in resources necessary for health care, medical disability , as well as the death of thousands of people.
AIDS
In 2022, according to figures from the Ministry of Health, 4,749 confirmed cases of HIV/AIDS were reported in Bogotá, of which 4,180 resided in the country’s capital, registering an incidence rate of 52.9 per 100,000. population.
As of August 2023, 2,972 confirmed cases have already been reported, of which 2,584 register a place of residence in Bogotá, with an incidence rate of 32.4 cases per 100,000 inhabitants.
The towns with the highest incidence, cut to August, are: Los Mártires, La Candelaria, Santa Fe, Teusaquillo and Chapinero. The behavior in terms of locations with the highest rates in 2022 is the same.
Hepatitis C is on the rise
In 2022, a total of 342 cases were reported, of which 84.2% (288) resided in Bogotá, with an incidence of 3.6 cases per 100,000 inhabitants.
As of August 2023, 298 cases of hepatitis C have been reported, of which 256 cases were in Bogotá, presenting an incidence of 3.2 cases per 100,000 inhabitants.
By 2022, a notification rate of 3.6 cases per 100,000 inhabitants was recorded. The towns that exceeded the District rate were: Los Mártires, Santa Fe and Tunjuelito. Cutting to epidemiological week 35 of 2023, the locations with the highest incidence are: La Candelaria, Los Mártires and Santa Fe.
Regarding hepatitis C, in 2022, 439 cases were reported, 387 cases had a place of residence in Bogotá, with an incidence of 4.9 cases per 100,000 inhabitants. As of August 2023, 428 cases have been reported, of which 382 had a place of residence in Bogotá, presenting an incidence of 4.8 cases per 100,000 inhabitants.
In the period from January to August 2022, compared to January to August 2023, the behavior in the event of hepatitis C in Bogotá presents an increase, going from an incidence of 3.0 (241 cases) to 4.8 ( 382 cases) per 100,000 inhabitants.
The most affected towns between 2022 and 2023 were: La Candelaria, going from 0 cases in 2022 to 10.9 (2 cases) per 100,000 inhabitants; Teusaquillo, going from 10.1 (17 cases) per 100,000 inhabitants to 19.8 (33 cases) per 100,000 inhabitants, and Chapinero, going from 19.8 (35 cases) per 100,000 inhabitants to 24.5 (44 cases) per 100,000 inhabitants.
There are an estimated 70 to 150 million cases of HCV infection in the world, with a rate of 400,000 to 700,000 deaths per year. The virus attacks mainly the liver.
Gestational syphilis
In 2022, 581 cases were reported in women with this disease, with a prevalence of 8.9 per 1,000 live births + fetal deaths.
The localities with the highest prevalence were: La Candelaria, Usme, Rafael Uribe Uribe, Los Mártires, Tunjuelito and Ciudad Bolívar, in which there are greater conditions of vulnerability related to poverty, displacement and street habitability. With a cut-off at epidemiological week 35 As of 2023, 363 cases have been reported with a prevalence ratio of 8.8.
At the same time in 2022, 412 cases had been reported, with a ratio of 9.5. “In this event it is important to show the impact on the indicator due to the migration of the Venezuelan population, being a vulnerable population in the city. Despite living in the District for more than six months, it is a highly mobile population, coupled with its irregular situation in the country, which does not allow access to connection to the general social health security system,” explained the Health Secretary.
Two types of blood tests are usually performed to confirm syphilis.
Actions
In June 2023, Bogotá joined the Seville Declaration and the network of cities that work together in favor of communities affected by the human immunodeficiency virus, invited by the Joint United Nations Program on HIV / AIDS (UNAIDS), in recognition of its commitment and the comprehensive response implemented against HIV.
Between 2020 and 2022, more than 82,000 rapid HIV tests, 97,000 syphilis tests and 43,000 hepatitis B tests have been carried out free of charge, in parks, squares, community days and local health services.
In the same years, 3,642,484 condoms have been delivered free of charge, within the framework of educational promotion and prevention activities developed by the different care environments of the territorial model Salud a Mi Barrio, Salud a Mi Vereda. And, according to the Secretariat, there has been continuity and expansion of the district network of condom dispensers (with approximately 100 functional dispensers).
In 2022, the congenital syphilis reduction strategy was implemented, carrying out 15,600 rapid syphilis tests in the general population, with emphasis on pregnant women and migrants, and in that same year, it participated in a hepatitis B vaccination pilot for key populations, achieving: 10,671 first doses, 2,711 second doses, 1,241 third doses and 174 booster doses. Permanent surveillance actions on blood and blood products were also maintained to maintain zero cases of HIV caused by this transmission mechanism in the city.
CAROL MALAVER
DEPUTY EDITOR BOGOTÁ
1696176313
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