CityNews – Patients with syphilis are rapidly on the increase in Thailand.
The Department of Disease Control has revealed that most of the patients with sexually transmitted diseases are people aged between 15 and 24 years old (36.9%) while Bangrak STIs Center has posted on its Facebook page that syphilis patients are “dispersing” which has raised concerns on social media. The statistics also show that about 30% of people having their first intercourse do not use a condom. A report from The Department of Disease Control revealed that the ratio of people with STIs have increased from 20.1 per one hundred thousand in 2012 to 28.9 in 2018. The number of patients with syphilis has jumped from 2.29 to 11.91 per a hundred thousand during the same years.
Dr. Rossaphorn Kittiyaowamarn of Bangrak STIs Center told BBC Thai that the average age of people having their first sexual encounter is getting younger to 13, and many of them lack of the understanding of self protection. “These juveniles have this misconception that sexually transmitted diseases only occur amongst those who provide sexual services,” Dr. Rossaphorn stated.
Hotline for STIs or HIV consultancy please call 1663 or call Department of Disease Control at 1422.