STD cases on the rise

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STD cases on the rise
By The Nation
2011-02-15

In the past five years, the number of patients with sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) has nearly doubled, with 23,622 cases being recorded in 2009 alone - a number that does not include those who sought overthecounter medication or treatment at private hospitals, the Public Health Ministry revealed yesterday. Most of the patients, aged between 15 and 24, got the disease from unprotected sex and onenight stands.

At an antiSTD campaign launched at the MBK shopping mall yesterday to mark Valentine's Day, Deputy Health Minister Pansiri Kullanatsiri said gonorrhoea was most prevalent with 7,188 cases, followed by pseudogonorrhoea and syphilis. A study in 2009 showed that many youngsters lost their virginity at the age of 13, and only 51 per cent used condoms during their first sexual encounter.

Therefore, the ministry is planning to launch a campaign to educate the public about STDs, promote the use of condoms and set up more youth centres this year to provide sex education, family planning and information about preventing STDs. The ministry will also distribute 19.2 million condoms free, via health stations nationwide.

The rising number of STD cases has also prompted concerns about more people getting HIV/Aids.
As of December 31, Thailand had 372,202 people living with HIV/Aids; 98,589 have died.