Cases of STDs double
The rate at which the Swiss are contracting sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) has increased dramatically since 1999, the Federal Health Office said on Thursday.
Reported cases of chlamydia, syphilis and gonorrhoea have doubled, even tripled, among the Swiss, although the higher figures probably do not reflect an equivalent increase in unprotected sex.
Between 2003 and 2008, the number of reported chlamydia cases increased from 3,493 to 6,178. There have already been 1,249 cases reported for 2009 – 54 more cases than for the same period last year.
Gonorrhoea has jumped from 521 cases in 2003 to 984 cases in 2007. Syphilis is also on the rise, with 196 cases reported so far in 2009, compared with 177 for the same period last year.
According to the Federal Health Office, the increase could be tied to more awareness about such diseases, meaning more people are getting tested.
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