Nearly One Billion People Worldwide Have an Incurable STI, Experts Warn
A staggering 900 million people worldwide have an incurable sexually transmitted infection (STI), according to a new study. The World Health Organization estimates that 24% of people under the age of 50 have been infected with genital herpes, with 520 million cases of the HSV-2 strain, which can cause painful blisters or ulcers.
The study, led by epidemiologist Manale Harfouche from Weill Cornell Medicine-Qatar, found that the most common incurable STI is genital herpes, with 129 million cases reported in 2020. However, only a limited number of specific programs exist to prevent and control the spread of the infection, and there is a lack of tools to address it on a population level.
Experts warn that available prevention modalities, such as condoms and antiviral therapy, are insufficient to control infection transmission and have had a modest impact in reducing incidence rates. As a result, there is a pressing need for HSV prophylactic and therapeutic vaccines to control transmission and reduce the economic burdens of the infection.
In the UK, the number of people contracting genital herpes for the first time in 2023 increased by 8.8% compared to 2022, with 27,167 diagnoses made. The total number of people with the STI was not disclosed. The UK government also reported a 4.7% increase in new STIs, with chlamydia diagnoses remaining stable.
Those aged 15 to 24 are most at risk of contracting an STI, and experts are urging for a more comprehensive approach to preventing and controlling the spread of the infection. With no clear plan in place to deal with the issue, the situation is expected to continue to pose a significant burden on health services and individuals worldwide.