2023-07-24 18:43:28
On the occasion of the World Congress on STIs and HIV being held in Chicago, USA, from July 24-27, 2023, theOMS published new guidelines on STIs.
Resurgence of STIs around the world
During the pandemic of COVID-19many countries had reported low coverage of STI prevention, testing and treatment services, leading to a resurgence of STIs globally.
Countries with good STI surveillance, such as the United States and the United Kingdom, report an increase in STIs. Emerging epidemics of new infections, such as mpox, and the re-emergence of neglected STIs pose challenges to prevention and control efforts, WHO notes in a press release.
Several countries are increasingly reporting failures of current gonorrhea treatment recommendations. Worryingly, the spread of a highly ceftriaxone-resistant Neisseria gonorrhea clone is increasingly being reported in Asian countries such as China, Japan, Singapore and Vietnam as well as Australia, Austria, Canada, Denmark, France, Ireland and the United Kingdom. Enhanced gonorrhea antimicrobial resistance surveillance suggests high rates of gonorrhea resistance to current treatment options such as ceftriaxone, cefixime and azithromycin in Cambodia, for example.
Syphilis, as well as congenital syphilis, is on the rise, and the lack of benzathine penicillin poses a considerable challenge to treating them effectively.
A man receives a dose of mpox vaccine at a clinic in Portugal.
New WHO guidelines
Every day, more than one million new sexually transmitted infections are acquired, representing a major global health challenge. However, tracking and understanding trends in new STIs in low- and middle-income countries is hampered by limited access to diagnostic tests.
“Early screening and diagnosis are key to stopping the spread of STIs. When left untreated, some STIs can lead to irreversible long-term outcomes and some can be life-threatening,” said Dr Teodora Wi, Sexually Transmitted Infections Officer, WHO Global Programs on HIV, Hepatitis and STIs. “Our new guidelines can help make low-cost STI testing more accessible, enabling better data collection and quality delivery of STI services for people in need.”
The new WHO guidelines include Target Product Profiles (TPPs) for point-of-care diagnostic technologies for the diagnosis of syphilis (treponema pallidum), Chlamydia trachomatis, Neisseria gonorrhoeae and Trichomonas vaginalis, which aim to facilitate the development of quality STI diagnostics.
TPPs help ensure that products are designed and manufactured to meet the clinical needs of at-risk populations and that they are “fit for use,” meaning they are safe, effective, and suitable for the environment of use. Point-of-care testing can reduce healthcare costs, reduce wait times, speed up initiation and increase treatment accuracy, and improve patient follow-up.
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