Population based estimation of point and period prevalence of sexully transmitted infections based the iranian symptoms surveillance system

Abstract

Sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) are of greate international concerns. The aim of this study was to measure the point and period prevalence of reportable STDs in Iran based on syndromes defined by the Iranian STDs surveillance system. In that regard, the population of Marvdasht, the second largest county of Fars province, was selected. This is a population based cross-sectional study, which was conducted among urban and rural residences of Marvdasht county in 2017. In total, among 11763 randomly sampled individuals, 3879 eligible participants in urban and rural areas of Marvdasht county were interviewed. The participants were on average 33 years old. Overall about 33 percent of men and 70 percent of women reported that, since the age of 15 years, they experienced at least one of the symptoms of selected STDs defined by the Iranian center for disease control (CDC) for surveillance of sexually transmitted infections (STIs). Moreover, 9.7 of men and 28.7 of women were suffering from at least one of the defined symptoms at the time of interview. Regardless of the etiology of the detected syndromes, the results highlight the importance of access to diagnostic and medical services to achieve on time diagnosis and treatment of the patients. Also, sexual health education is needed to be provided to the rural and urban sexually active population of Iran.