Avramova, Nina. (June 6, 2019) One million STDs diagnosed every day, World Health Organization says. CNN. Available at https://www.cnn.com/2019/06/06/health/global-sti-cases-who-data-intl/index.html (Accessed June 9, 2019).
This article describes the time trend of the sexually transmitted infections (STIs), also known as STDs, of chlamydia, gonorrhea, trichomoniasis and syphilis. More than a million of these STIs are contracted per day and 376 million a year. There are several determinants contributing to this epidemic. Dr. Melanie Taylor says that these trends show that “people are taking risks with their health” and that in worldwide figures these STIs show “no substantial decline,” since 2012. Treating these STIs is difficult. There are shortages of enzathine penicillin to treat syphilis and there is antimicrobial resistance to gonorrhea treatments. Because many of the STIs show no symptoms, people do not realize they are infected and need to be treated. Also, STIs are as Dr. Taylor says, “associated with shame and stigma” adding to this “hidden” epidemic. Public health strategies could try to find alternative treatments for these infections as well as encourage people to take less risks with their health. Public health strategies could also test for STIs more often as they do not present symptoms and try to stop the shame and stigma associated with these infections so that it will no longer be a “hidden” epidemic. I would want to know more about how this information varies by region and the different ways it is being handled in different places. That way it would be easier to identify which strategies are working for containing this problem and can be implemented successfully worldwide. I agree with the conclusions presented by the author from the data. It is specific in saying that this information is about 4 specific STIs and not all STIs. I trust this source. The information is straightforward and backed up by data from the World Health Organization (WHO) as well as other credible sources.
I can’t help but wonder what all of the factors are that make people want to take excessive risk when partaking in sexual intercourse. Besides the biggest factors which are education about sex and access to contraceptives, I feel like there is a cultural stigma that prevents people from practicing healthier sex lives. Mainly this thought stems from the influence of the media, as there is a weird atmosphere around it that sometimes makes it seem like it encourages recklessness when having sex. Though at the same time, there is a prudish/conservative nature around it due to religious influence.