Main STDs Have Increased By Almost 200% Since 2012, State Figures Show
Between 2012 and 2022, the number of STD reports of eight different sexually transmitted diseases increased by 198.56%, a Parliamentary Question response shows.
PN MP Claudette Buttigieg submitted a Parliamentary Question in June of this year, asking for the rates of reports of different sexually transmitted illnesses in Malta between 2012 and 2023.
She specifically asked for the numbers of Chlamydia; Gonorrhea; Syphilis; HPV; Hepatitis; HIV/Aids; Monkeypox; Pubic Lice; Scabies and; Genital Herpes.
Health Minister Chris Fearne responded to her question, providing the numbers of Gonorrhea, Chlamydia, Syphilis, Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C, HIV, Monkepox, and Scabies – which altogether, increased by almost 200%.
The numbers of Chlamydia and Gonorrhea climbed steadily and high in this 10-year period.
In 2012, there were 139 registered cases of Chlamydia which rose to 361 in 2021 and dropped slightly in 2022 to 300.
Meanwhile, reported Gonorrhea cases made a massive jump from 29 in 2012 to 238 in 2021 and a slight decline of six cases in 2022.
Another interesting stat is the sudden increase of Monkeypox registered in 2022. With zero reported cases in the nine years between 2012 and 2021, to 33 cases in 2022.
Buttigieg further asked whether on a solid date for the release of the new Sexual Health Policy report to which Fearne replied that the research backing preceding the policy was conducted between October 2022 and January 2023.
Meanwhile, the currently proposed measures are undergoing a financial evaluation to ensure that the proposed measures can be implemented sustainably.
Within this 10-year period, there has been no update of Malta’s Sexual Health Policy or any substantial development for new GU clinics across the island, despite repeated promises.
Do you think Malta needs to update its Sexual Health Policy to tackle these issues?
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