The World Health Organization (WHO) has released a report highlighting a concerning trend, with the Americas and African regions experiencing the largest surge in sexually transmitted infections (STIs).

The report reveals a substantial increase in cases of chlamydia, gonorrhoea, syphilis, and trichomoniasis in recent years.

According to the WHO, STIs, along with HIV and viral hepatitis, continue to pose major public health threats, resulting in approximately 2.5 million deaths annually.

The report stated, “In 2022, WHO Member States set out an ambitious target of reducing the annual number of adult syphilis infections by ten-fold by 2030, from 7.1 million to 0.71 million. Yet, new syphilis cases among adults aged 15-49 years increased by over 1 million in 2022 reaching 8 million.”

According to the report, over one million new cases of syphilis, gonorrhoea, chlamydia, and trichomoniasis occur every day.

The report also highlighted a concerning trend, with a significant increase in adult and maternal syphilis cases (1.1 million) and congenital syphilis cases (523 per 100,000 live births annually) during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Furthermore, in 2022, syphilis was responsible for 230,000 deaths, and new data revealed a rise in gonorrhoea cases resistant to multiple treatments.

The report added, “As of 2023, out of 87 countries where enhanced gonorrhoea antimicrobial resistance surveillance was conducted, nine countries reported elevated levels (from 5% to 40%) resistance to ceftriaxone, the last line treatment for gonorrhoea. WHO is monitoring the situation and has updated its recommended treatment to reduce the spread of this multi-resistant gonorrhoea strain.

“In 2022, around 1.2 million new hepatitis B cases and nearly 1 million new hepatitis C cases were recorded. The estimated number of deaths from viral hepatitis rose from 1.1 million in 2019 to 1.3 million in 2022 despite effective prevention, diagnosis, and treatment tools.

“New HIV infections only reduced from 1.5 million in 2020 to 1.3 million in 2022. Five key population groups —men who have sex with men, people who inject drugs, sex workers, transgender individuals, and individuals in prisons and other closed settings — still experience significantly higher HIV prevalence rates than the general population.

“An estimated 55 per cent of new HIV infections occur among these populations and their partners. HIV-related deaths continue to be high. In 2022, there were 630,000 HIV-related deaths, 13 per cent of these occurring in children under the age of 15 years.”

The WHO report highlights a concerning trend: a slow decline in new HIV and viral hepatitis infections, combined with a surge in sexually transmitted infections (STIs), threatens the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030.

WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus expressed concerns, emphasizing the need for accelerated action to address these public health challenges.

The rising incidence of syphilis raises major concerns. Fortunately, there has been important progress on several other fronts including accelerating access to critical health commodities including diagnostics and treatment.

He, however, said the WHO has the tools required to end the epidemics as public health threats by 2030, adding, “But we now need to ensure that, in the context of an increasingly complex world, countries do all they can to achieve the ambitious targets they set themselves”