Surge of “Sexually Transmitted Diseases” in the U.S.! Behind this is the spread of PrEP and declining condom use… What is “PrEP”?

CDC Recommends “PEP” to be Taken “After” Sex to Prevent Infection

The number of people infected with sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) such as chlamydia infection, gonorrhea, and syphilis has been increasing rapidly in Japan. In the U.S., the number of infected people has been rising steadily for about 10 years, and in 2009, the number of infected people further increased to 2.5 million.

In response, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) proposed on October 2 to recommend that doctors prescribe common antibiotics as “post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP)” for oral use after sexual activity.

This is due to the fact that condom use has been declining since the creation of “pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP),” a daily dose of medication that significantly reduces the risk of HIV infection, according to the report. Yoko Hirota, a writer living in Los Angeles, interviewed Dr. Hideto Saito, who works as a family physician there, about the actual situation.

Behind the Increase in Sexually Transmitted Diseases: The Existence of Dating Apps…

Driving through the city of Los Angeles, one can’t help but notice billboards offering free STD testing and large advertisements promoting the use of condoms.

There are several factors contributing to the increase in sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) in recent years. Condom use used to be recommended to prevent HIV infection, but the use of “pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP),” a daily medication to reduce the risk of HIV infection, has become more common.

A number of factors have been cited as contributing to the rapid increase in STDs, including a decline in condom use, insufficient sex education, fewer people getting STD tests due to the COVID-19 crisis, and the widespread use of dating apps to quickly find sex partners.

In fact, Dr. Hideto Saito, who works in Los Angeles, is also concerned about the increase in sexually transmitted diseases.

He states, “ Sexually transmitted diseases are diseases we see frequently. I have noticed that syphilis cases have been on the rise in the last 10 years. Chlamydia remains the most frequently seen sexually transmitted disease. Chlamydia

What is PrEP, which is widespread in the U.S. but unfamiliar in Japan?

To begin with, “PrEP” is unfamiliar in Japan. It is a method of reducing the risk of infection by taking HIV prophylaxis before risky sexual activity. The dosage is one tablet per day.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), if taken daily according to the prescribed schedule, HIV infection through sexual activity can be expected to be prevented 99% of the time. However, they are not effective against other sexually transmitted diseases such as chlamydia and syphilis. The CDC continues to recommend the use of condoms, saying that only condoms prevent these sexually transmitted diseases.

In reality, however, while “PrEP” has spread and HIV prevention has spread, condom use has declined, and in turn, sexually transmitted infections have increased.

For this reason, the CDC has newly recommended that physicians prescribe post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP/Pep), a common antibiotic to be taken orally after sexual activity. The antibiotic, doxycycline, is effective in preventing sexually transmitted infections such as chlamydia and syphilis. This usage is also known as “doxypep” after the drug’s name.

Doxycycline is an inexpensive antibiotic that has been sold in the United States for more than 50 years. Regular use of this drug is targeted for prescription to gay and bisexual men and transgender women, who are at high risk of developing the disease due to the fear of increased bacterial resistance.

Incidentally, the aforementioned Dr. Saito also prescribes “PrEP/Prep” to his patients. He also said that he prescribes “PrEP/Pep” to his patients.

The clinical trials have shown that PEP is effective, so I think it will be established as a new guideline. The same is true for all antimicrobial agents in terms of the emergence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria.

Basic infection prevention, such as regular checkups and condom use, is essential.

Even after engaging in risky sexual activity, one should not be reassured that medication can prevent infection.

“ These sexually transmitted diseases often do not produce symptoms, so it is not uncommon for people to become infected without knowing it and become ill, spread the infection to others, or for pregnant women to spread the infection to their own fetus and cause illness in the baby.

It is good that there are medicines that prevent infection, but on the other hand, it is important to prevent infection and not spread the infection to others by regular checkups and using condoms. Also, even if you use PEP, you can still become infected.”

No matter how effective PEP has been proven to be, nothing in this world can be said to be 100% safe. We must continue to take basic precautions to protect the health of ourselves, our partners, and those around us.

Hideto Saito graduated from Hokkaido University School of Medicine. Completed internship at U.S. Navy Yokosuka Hospital; completed Providence St. Peter Family Medicine residency; MPH from UC Berkeley; completed The Mark Stinson Global Health fellowship;’ He has been affiliated with a clinic in Los Angeles since 2010.