Data from the Ministry of Health shows that the country is recording a decline in HIV/AIDS cases, but not among men aged 15 to 29 years. The rate has increased in this age group, reaching 53.3% of people aged 25 to 29 infected in 2021.

According to the department, an increase in the incidence of syphilis has been recorded among men, women and pregnant women.

The red month of December warns of cases of increased public awareness of HIV – Photo: Archive/Agência Brasil

In the month of the Red December campaign, an initiative to raise awareness of the importance of preventing the HIV/AIDS virus and other sexually transmitted infections (STIs), the SBU (Brazilian Society of Urology) warns that if left untreated, infections can cause genital injuries , neurological and cardiovascular diseases and even cancers such as uterine and penile cancer.

Throughout December, the medical society is clarifying key concerns about STIs through live broadcasts, publications and videos on its social media profile (@portaldaurologia).

Vaccination

Although SUS offers HPV vaccination to boys and girls aged 9 to 14 years, second dose coverage among boys is 27.7%, according to the Ministry of Health. Among girls, coverage is higher, reaching 54.3%, but still far from the recommended 95%.

Karin Yeager Anzolch, director of public affairs for the SBU and one of those responsible for the campaign, said urologists have noticed that the use of condoms during sexual intercourse has dropped significantly in recent years, while the transmission of STIs continues to rise.

“Another major problem is that many of these infections are becoming resistant to existing treatments in various parts of the world. For these reasons, we decided that we needed to again talk more about this topic, warn and educate the public and health officials, and for the third year in a row we have adopted Red December, traditional AIDS Awareness Month, as a month dedicated to the topic of all STIs.” “, the doctor said in the note.

Symptoms

STIs can be caused by viruses, bacteria or other microorganisms. Among the most common are genital herpes, syphilis, HPV, HIV/AIDS, chancroid, hepatitis B and C, gonorrhea, chlamydia, pelvic inflammatory disease, lymphogranuloma venereum and trichomoniasis.

Some STIs are silent in their early stages, showing no signs or symptoms, or the initial symptoms may disappear spontaneously, giving the false impression that the disease has been cured, which can delay treatment and increase the complications and consequences that infertility can have. , cancer and even death.

The most common symptoms include sores, discharge, warts, pelvic pain, burning when urinating, skin lesions and increased swelling.

The use of condoms (male or female) remains the best form of prevention in addition to vaccination against STIs such as HPV and hepatitis.

HIV/AIDS Statistics

Data from the Ministry of Health’s 2022 HIV/AIDS Epidemiological Bulletin shows that the number of infections is decreasing, except for men aged 15 to 29 years. According to the bulletin, the number of people infected with HIV in 2021 was highest among men aged 25 to 29 years (53.3%). For women, the highest rate was recorded between the ages of 40 and 44 years (18.4%).

In 2021 alone, there have been 28,967 cases of the virus in people aged 15 to 39, 22,699 among men and 6,268 among women.

If we analyze the number of cases in general, the largest number in recent years has been recorded among men.

According to Karin Anzolh, at the time AIDS broke out and for several years after that, many people were afraid and actually began to take and demand the use of condoms, and also became more careful when choosing partners. However, over time, many people became careless and began to downplay the risks of infection, causing them not only to be re-exposed to HIV, but also to all the other STIs that are common.

Another important point to note, according to the doctor, is that although today people living with HIV have access to effective treatments that not only prolong but also provide a good quality of life, this should not be forgotten . take medication constantly and undergo a very strict regimen of care, testing and medical monitoring as it is still an incurable disease.

“Now imagine a young person starting his life, contracting such a disease and already having to live with this burden, affecting his entire present and future. And this is exactly what is happening, unfortunately, especially among young men, where there is an increase in incidence. This is the result of a number of reasons, but among the main factors, without a doubt, infection during unprotected sex, as well as injecting drug use,” the doctor said.

From the beginning of the AIDS epidemic (1980) until 2021, Brazil has recorded 371,744 deaths from the disease. The largest proportion of these deaths occurred in the South East (56.6%), followed by the South (17.9%), Northeast (14.5%), North (5.6%) and West Central (5). .4%) regions.

Statistics and cases of syphilis

According to the Epidemiological Bulletin “Syphilis 2023” of the Ministry of Health, from 2012 to 2022, the country recorded 1,237,027 cases of acquired syphilis, 537,401 cases of syphilis in pregnant women, 238,387 cases of congenital syphilis and 2,153 deaths from congenital syphilis. From 2012 to 2022, with the exception of 2020, there was an increase in the detection of acquired syphilis, likely due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

The bulletin also indicates an increase in cases and detection rates of syphilis in pregnant women from 2012 to 2022. The South East region is the champion with 248,741 reported cases, followed by the North East region with 112,073 cases.

“Syphilis initially manifests itself as a skin lesion in the place where the vaccination was made through direct contact with the lesion of an infected person (primary syphilis). Even without treatment, this initial injury heals spontaneously, creating the false impression that the injury is “nothing serious,” but the person remains infected and the disease continues to progress, potentially leading to the death of the patient,” emphasized Alfredo Canalini, President of the SBU. .

According to SBU Vice President Rony de Carvalho Fernandez, several measures could be taken to combat syphilis in Brazil, such as education and awareness, facilitating access to tests and treatment, improving the health care system, expanding prenatal care and strengthening epidemiological surveillance.

“It is important to emphasize that the adoption of these measures must be carried out in a comprehensive and continuous manner, aimed at the prevention, detection and adequate treatment of syphilis to reduce its incidence and impact in Brazil,” recommends Fernandez.

Vaccination against HPV

Human papillomavirus (HPV) causes about 50% of cancers, including cancers of the cervix, anus, vulva, vagina, oropharynx and penis. And vaccination against HPV is the most effective way to prevent infection.

SBU runs the #Vemprouro campaign every September to raise awareness of adolescent male health and takes the opportunity to raise awareness of the importance of immunization.

According to Dr Karin, vaccination rates are still far below ideal, especially among boys. In addition to cancer, HPV can also cause genital warts, which are long and difficult to treat, causing stigma and consequences in relationships and the risk of transmission.

“Immune-suppressed people, such as transplant recipients and people living with HIV, are at even greater risk, and the age range for free vaccination in this group and for people who have been victims of sexual violence has been extended to 45 years. We are working hard on HPV vaccination on all of these issues, but especially among adolescent males, an audience that is not yet motivated or targeted enough to receive this benefit,” says Karin.

Because HPV is a disease that is most often asymptomatic and subsides spontaneously within two years, many people do not discover they have the virus and pass it on to their partners. Hence the importance of encouraging vaccination. The vaccine is available in SUS for boys and girls aged 9 to 14 years (in addition to those who are immunocompromised), but coverage is still far from the recommended target of 95%.

Among the consequences of HPV are cervical and penile cancer. According to the Mortality Information System (SIM) of the Ministry of Health, more than 6 thousand deaths of women from cervical cancer were recorded in 2021, and in 2023 it is estimated that there will be more than 17 thousand new cases.

For penile cancer, there were 7,790 penile amputations due to malignancy at SUS from 2007 to 2022, equivalent to an average of 486 procedures per year. As for the number of deaths due to the disease, the average is 400 per year.