Sexually transmitted disease (STD) rates among young people last year reached a six-year high, with the highest increases among teens aged 13 to 15, as well as women and girls, the latest data from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) showed.
Over the past six years, gonorrhea and syphilis cases in teens aged 13 to 18 have increased 2.5 times from 191 to 667 and 2.2 times from 81 to 262 respectively, both record highs last year, with the highest increase rate in those aged 13 to 15.
The number of gonorrhea cases in Taiwan almost doubled from 4,167 in 2018 to 8,204 last year, of which 34.4 percent were young people aged 13 to 24 — rates among which grew the most at 8.1 percent, the data showed.
Photo: Lin Hui-chin, Taipei Times
In that age group, 2,340 were male and 484 were female with growth rates of 4.6 percent and 28.7 percent respectively.
In the 13-to-15 age group, the growth rate was 76.7 percent to 106 people, followed by the 16-to-18 group with a 24.1 percent increase, the data showed.
The number of syphilis cases rose 18 percent from 6,989 in 2020 to 8,277 last year, a record high in the past four years, of which 20 percent were people aged 13 to 24.
Cases in that age group increased from 1,242 to 1,490, 1,155 of which were male and 335 female, with a growth of 7.6 percent and 98.2 percent respectively.
The highest growth rate was in the 13-to-15 age group, which rose 59.1 percent to 35 people, while the 16-to-18 age group grew 53.4 percent to 227 people.
CDC Deputy Director Tseng Shu-hui (曾淑慧) on Sunday said that the rise in cases of gonorrhea and syphilis mirrors the trend in Western nations, with the primary infection route being unsafe sex.
The easing of COVID-19 restrictions in the past few years might have increased the frequency of sexual activities and people seeking medical care as a result, leading to more people being screened and cases reported, Tseng said.
A few additional cases in the 13-to-15 age group can result in a substantial percentage increase, she said, adding that people are engaging in sexual activities at earlier ages, while the Internet and dating apps allow people to make immediate connections.
A 2021 Taiwan Youth Health Survey by the Health Promotion Administration showed that 1.4 percent of junior-high school students and 11.6 percent of high-school students reported having had sex, and that one in 10 teenagers have had sex, with most first engaging in sex at age 16 or 17.
Previous data showed that adolescent STD cases rose slightly after the summer vacation, Tseng said, adding that teens should practice safe sex and those who do not should get screened regularly.
Taichung Veterans General Hospital urologist Hu Ju-chuan (胡如娟) said that mental care is as important as medical therapy for people with STDs, especially teenagers, whose mental maturity does not necessarily match their physical development.
Syphilis can cause symptoms such as firm and painless chancres and wart-like legions on the genitals and a diffuse rash, as well as systemic symptoms such as headaches, fatigue, fever, weight loss and musculoskeletal pains.
Without proper treatment, after three to seven years from infection, Treponema pallidum would invade the nerves and the brain, resulting in irreversible damage such as neurosyphilis and cardiovascular syphilis.
In women, gonorrhea can cause inflammatory diseases of the uterus or pelvis with an increased risk of ectopic pregnancy or infertility. For men, without proper therapy, gonorrhea can result in purulent urethra, prostatitis or, in severe cases, infertility.
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