Juliette Gagliardi
Junior Researcher
Sexually transmitted diseases in Italy - Statistics & Facts
Sexual transmitted diseases (STDs), also commonly referred to as sexual transmitted infections (STIs), include a large group of infectious diseases that can cause a different range of symptoms, from mild to acute, as well as chronic infections. STDs can be caused by bacteria, viruses, protozoa, and parasites. Chlamydia, gonorrhea, and syphilis are among the STDs caused by bacteria, while HIV, human papillomavirus (HPV), and hepatitis B and C are caused by viruses. Most people in Italy are affected by STDs caused by bacterial infections. Individuals between 25 and 44 years old are the most impacted by STDs in Italy, whether they be men or women.
STDs caused by viruses
HIV is probably the most notorious sexual transmitted disease worldwide. In Italy, after a peak in the incidence rate in the ’80s when the virus was discovered for the first time, the number of new HIV cases has overall decreased. In 2022, the number of new cases in Italy amounted to 1,888 and most of them were among males between 30 and 49 years old. The human papillomavirus (HPV) is another STD caused by a virus, which is very frequent among all individuals. Most of the time HPV is temporary and asymptomatic, however, some types of HPV are involved in the development of certain cancers, especially cervical cancer. The HPV vaccination was first introduced in Italy free of charge in 2007 for girls and in 2018 for boys. Therefore, a steep increase in HPV immunization rates among boys was observed in 2019. Vaccination against hepatitis B has been compulsory in Italy since 1991. For this reason the immunization rate in almost every region is above 90 percent. When it comes to hepatitis C, although vaccination is not yet available, the number of reported cases in Italy in 2022 amounted to just 44.STDs caused by bacteria
Chlamydia, gonorrhea, and syphilis are among the STDs caused by bacteria, and cases of all three have increased in Italy in the last few years. When it comes to syphilis, for example, the number of cases in 2022 was more than double the number in 2008. Even more dramatic was the increase in gonorrhea cases, with this number almost nine times higher in 2022 when compared to 2008.
