Men were more likely to be diagnosed with sexually transmitted infections (STIs) last year, mainly due to unsafe sexual practices, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said yesterday.
Last year saw 9,738 confirmed cases of syphilis and 7,605 cases of gonorrhea, with unprotected sex the main cause, the CDC said in a statement.
STIs primarily affect sexually active men younger than 50, it said.
Photo courtesy of Taipei Veterans General Hospital via CNA
However, syphilis cases have decreased by 2 percent and gonorrhea cases by 8 percent from 2023, it added.
Although the number of cases is going down, syphilis cases in 2023 were the second-highest in five years, while gonorrhea remains among the top three most reported STIs, CDC spokeswoman Tseng Shu-hui (曾淑慧) told reporters.
Syphilis has a male-to-female reported case ratio of 5:1, while as many as 90 percent of gonorrhea cases were men, she said.
Syphilis is caused by the bacterium Treponema pallidum and spreads through direct contact with an infectious sore via skin-to-skin contact, mucous membranes and blood, with an incubation period of 10 to 90 days, she said.
The initial symptoms of syphilis are painless ulcers on the genitals, which can then develop into a rash, headache, fatigue and fever, she added.
If untreated, syphilis can cause tumors and life-threatening neurological and cardiovascular complications, Tseng said.
Gonorrhea is caused by the bacterium Neisseria gonorrhoeae, with symptoms presenting in men as pus-like discharge and painful urination from two to seven days after infection, while women are often asymptomatic, she said.
If left untreated, gonorrhea can lead to infertility in women, or spread to the rectum, throat or eyes, where it can cause gonococcal conjunctivitis, she added.
Both diseases are curable, although reinfection can occur, Tseng said.
The CDC recommends safe sex practices such as wearing a condom, using water-based lubricants and regular STI testing for those with active sex lives.
It also recommends that sexual partners encourage each other to get tested and treated if necessary to avoid “ping pong” style reinfections.
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