The Minister of Health of the Government of the Canary Islands, Esther Monzón, and the General Director of Public Health of the Canary Islands Health Service, José Díaz-Flores, presented this Wednesday at a press conference the campaign to prevent sexually transmitted infections (STIs). With the slogan Prevention starts with you, the campaign of the General Directorate of Public Health of the SCS aims to raise awareness and inform about the prevention of STIs and promote the use of condoms among the general population.
The Minister of Health specified that the purpose is to prevent sexually transmitted infections and remind citizens that it is important to take precautions to avoid this type of preventable disease, that the population assumes that prevention starts from oneself.
According to her, "the creativity of this campaign uses real and impactful data to convey the urgency of the problem and normalize the conversation about sexual health." In addition, it seeks to generate reflection, persuade the population, eliminate stigmas and raise awareness about affective-sexual health.
"Therefore, the situation in the Canary Islands, with an increase in cases in recent years, highlights the urgency of a campaign that informs, raises awareness and puts the conversation in the air to be able to raise awareness about sexual health. However, the lack of information, stigma and the perception of invulnerability mean that many people do not take preventive measures, such as the use of condoms," Monzón added.
The campaign focuses on the need to promote responsible sexual behaviors to reduce the transmission of STIs. Promote the performance of STI diagnostic tests at the slightest suspicion of risk and routine examinations to detect these infections in time, especially when the symptoms are not visible.
Monzón highlighted the importance of acting against the misinformation that exists in relation to myths and misunderstandings surrounding STIs and, in general, sexual health. And finally, she appealed "to personal responsibility, which is a nuance on which the specialists all agreed when devising the campaign: Emphasize that decisions about sexual health affect not only the person, but also their partners and the community," she explained.
Target population
The General Director of Public Health explained that the campaign is aimed at all sexually active people, but with special attention to youth, which statistically is the group of greatest vulnerability to contract STIs; adults, a group in which an increase in STI transmission rates is being experienced; people in prostitution and, finally, gay, bisexual and men who have sex with men with a higher incidence of STIs and who require a specific approach.
"It is essential that citizens are aware that anyone who engages in unprotected sexual practices is vulnerable to contracting an STI and that it is important to diagnose the infection as soon as possible to cut the chain of transmission. Finally, we must continue to insist that condoms are the most effective method for preventing sexually transmitted infections," Díaz-Flores said.
Education for prevention
Díaz Flores pointed out that "it should not be forgotten that, in addition to preventive measures, it is a priority to promote affective-sexual education for the entire population with a sexual health model that is respectful towards sexuality and sexual relations, as well as favoring safe sexual experiences, free of coercion, discrimination and violence, which is essential for achieving full sexual health."
In this context, it should be remembered that the Primary Care Managements of the SCS carry out community activities throughout the year in the educational field, both in Primary and Secondary education, through talks, workshops and recreational activities in which students are informed of the importance of preventing STIs and HIV and the need to maintain healthy affective-sexual relationships.
As an example of this type of activity, Díaz-Flores recalled that the Primary Care Management of the Tenerife Health Area promotes healthy lifestyle habits and disease prevention among secondary school students on the island through the activities of the Health with Z project, an initiative launched in September 2022 in collaboration with the Ministry of Education of the Government of the Canary Islands.
Myths
According to him, the early initiation of sexual relations, the globalization of information through social networks and social interconnection have facilitated the growth of misconceptions about how STIs are transmitted, what their risk factors are or how to prevent them and hence the increase in the number of infections, all of which is linked to the loss of fear of HIV thanks to scientific advances in treatments, which have allowed patients with HIV to become chronic without this disease, in general, endangering survival.
Finally, the stigmatization caused by these infections makes young people (and sometimes a certain population) feel judged and reluctant to talk about these issues that may be uncomfortable and do not go to health centers and do go to social networks and peer advice.
Epidemiological surveillance of STIs
The trend of these infections is upward regardless of the pandemic period, in line with what is observed in the rest of Spain as evidenced by the latest report on Epidemiological Surveillance of Sexually Transmitted Infections in Spain 2023, published in October 2024.
Among the keys that justify this upward trend are:
• The lack of perception that these infections exist and that the entire population is at risk if unprotected sexual practices are carried out.
• The reduction in the use of condoms in the young population and in the general population (the sensation of pleasure and the use of oral contraception are prioritized).
• The early initiation of sexual relations, the increase in their frequency and the number of sexual partners, which is a consequence of the globalization of information through social networks and social interconnection. Technology facilitates contact with a greater number of sexual partners, through social networks, and access to pornography, which generates an idealization of sexual relations far from reality.
• The effect of alcohol and drugs that increase the chances of putting sexual health at risk.
In addition and in a positive sense, other factors must be taken into account, such as the improvement of surveillance and diagnostic systems that may be bringing more cases to light, as well as the updating of epidemiological surveillance records and the appearance of more sensitive and less invasive diagnostic methods.
STI surveillance and prevention in the Canary Islands
In the Canary Islands, efforts to control the transmission of STIs are aimed at reducing the number of new infections by promoting prevention and early diagnosis in the population and facilitating access to treatment, especially in the different contexts of great vulnerability (transsexual women in prostitution, prostitution with high risk, people who inject drugs, serodiscordant couples and people in extreme poverty, among others).
Usually, screening should be recommended to all those who have unprotected sex as well as in pregnant women.
Lines of work:
• Promote training in comprehensive sexual education and safe practices. There are joint projects between Primary Care and Secondary Education centers, such as the Health with Z Project.
• Promote the use of condoms as the main prevention measure in the transmission of STIs and facilitate their accessibility to the population.
• Increase early diagnosis, facilitating access to diagnostic tests and increasing screening strategies in the general population and specific population with risky sexual practices in public centers (Screening Point Project) and community centers (Early Diagnosis Program of HIV and STIs with rapid tests in NGOs).
• Training in sexual health and health education for primary care professionals and the population.
• Work to eliminate the social stigmas linked to STIs because it is a reason for young people not to go early to be diagnosed and treated. It is important to promote trust, so that healthy environments are created to improve the care of their health and facilitate access to diagnostic tests and treatment of STIs.
• In the case of HIV:
◦ Recommend pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) in all those with greater vulnerability to acquire the infection and promote and facilitate access to post-exposure prophylaxis (PPENO) in those cases that require it.
◦ Facilitate universal access to antiretroviral therapies, increasing the percentage of people with undetectable viral load, which ensures that transmission cannot occur.
In general, providing accurate information on prevention, transmission, symptoms and treatment of STIs is a priority, but, in addition, it must be adapted to the age and sociocultural context, sexual orientation and gender identity.
Canary Islands Data
- Gonococcal infection: in 2023, 1,011 cases of gonococcal infection were confirmed (rate: 46.42 cases per 100,000 inhabitants). 74.08 percent of the cases were in men, 25.91 percent in women. The most affected age group was 25-34 years in the case of men and 15-24 years in the case of women.
- Chlamydia infection: in 2023, 1,342 cases of chlamydia trachomatis infection were confirmed (rate: 61.62 cases per 100,000 inhabitants). 55.96 percent of the cases occurred in men, 44.03 in women. The most affected age group was 25-34 years in the case of men and 15-24 years in the case of women.
- Syphilis: in 2023, 1185 cases of syphilis were confirmed (rate: 54.41 cases per 100,000 inhabitants). 81.18 percent of the cases were in men, 18.81 in women. The most affected age group was 25-34 years in both men and women. Of the confirmed cases, 60.10% percent were in early-stage syphilis (primary, secondary or early latent phase), which would correspond to the incident cases in the year under study.
- Year 2024: according to data collected from January 1 to September 30 of this year, 980 cases of gonococcal infection have been confirmed (an increase of 40.3 percent compared to the same period of the previous year), 1,467 cases of chlamydia infection (an increase of 62.3 percent compared to the same period of 2023) and 728 cases of syphilis (a decrease of 20.4 percent of cases compared to the same period last year).
Detection points
The SCS is piloting a Screening Point project with the Primary Care Management of the Tenerife Health Area for early detection tests for infectious-contagious diseases, which is contributing to improving the early diagnosis of HIV, STIs and viral hepatitis on the island. Currently, these screening points are active in the health centers of Añaña, La Cuesta and San Isidro, as well as in the Emergency service of Puerto de la Cruz.
In addition, in the community area there is a rapid HIV detection test service that is carried out in collaboration with NGOs on the islands of Gran Canaria, Tenerife, Lanzarote, La Palma and Fuerteventura.
