Updates on sexually transmitted infections in the Philippines

ABSTRACT

@#Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) remain a public health problem worldwide, with more than 1 million people acquiring an STI every day. In the Philippines, the total number of people with STIs other than human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection is not known. Hence, the Philippine Dermatological Society (PDS) has taken the initiative to document STI cases in its institutions since 2011. Syphilis, human papillomavirus (HPV), herpes simplex virus (HSV) and HIV infections are some of the common STIs in our country. A total of 665 syphilis patients, 2,053 HPV-infected patients and 977 patients with herpes have been seen and treated in PDS institutions throughout the country from 2011 to 2018. The number of HIV cases on the other hand, have already reached 58,181 from January 1984 to August 2018. In August 2018 alone, 1,047 new cases of HIV have been reported to the HIV/AIDS & ART Registry of the Philip- pines (HARP). The rates of STI infections like HIV, syphilis, HPV and herpes may be on the rise but clinicians can have a significant impact on this trend. With effective counselling, early and accurate detection, diagnosis and treatment, the threat and burden of STIs can be greatly reduced.