Pediatric sexual infections: Catalonia extends surveillance up to 12 years
Control of STIs will be reinforced from primary care with new clinical referents and more training for professionals
BarcelonaIn the last decade, at least 405 sexually transmitted infections (STIs) have been detected in children under 14 years old in Catalonia. Although they are a growing public health problem throughout Europe, the increase in cases in the younger age groups particularly worries health authorities, which is why the Department of Health has announced that it is extending surveillance of these infections to 12-year-olds. Promotion and prevention among adolescents will also be strengthened, and there will be clinical referents for these infections in primary care teams. These are some of the measures in the new STI care model, with which the aim is to reduce the number of cases, as since 2010 they have increased by an average of 32.4% each year and, for the first time in Catalonia, more than 40,000 were diagnosed in 2024, the last year with available data.
since 2010 they have increased by an average of 32.4% each year and, for the first time in Catalonia, more than 40,000 were diagnosed in 2024, the last year with available data.
the "dramatic decrease" in condom use"The idea is that the vast majority of STI cases can be resolved in primary care consultations," explained Ruiz regarding the clinical referents that will be available in CAPs. There will also be specific training in sexual infections for family doctors, gynecologists, nurses, midwives, and residents in the centers. All this to respond to various determinants that have led to an increase in sexual infection cases, such as, for example, an increase in risky behaviors, the "dramatic decrease" in condom use, the emergence of phenomena such as chemsex orthe increase in the number of sexual partners a person has, according to Jordi Casabona, founder of the Center for Epidemiological Studies on HIV/AIDS in Catalonia (CEEISCAT).
Resistant gonorrhea
In the general population, genital chlamydia infection is the most reported STI with almost half of the cases, followed by gonorrhea and syphilis, with 39.3% and 8.5% of cases respectively. Of these three, gonorrhea is of particular concern, as a recent study indicates that it has tripled in recent years in Catalonia: the incidence of the disease has increased by 236% since 2019. The research, published in the journal a recent study indicates that it has tripled in recent years in Catalonia: the incidence of the disease has increased by 236% since 2019. The research, published in the journal European Journal of Clinical Microbiology & Infectious Diseases and carried out by professionals from the Public Health Agency of Catalonia, the Center for Epidemiological Studies on STIs and AIDS, and the Vall d'Hebron Hospital, also warns of growing resistance to drugs.
Although gonorrhea can be treated with antibiotics, the accelerated outbreak of cases increases the risk that in the future there will be no available treatments. The ability of bacteria to escape these drugs increases the more they are exposed to the drug. Therefore, if sexual transmission increases, more people will need the antibiotic and there will be a greater risk of developing resistance.
Information systems
By the Secretary of Public Health, Esteve Fernández, given the sustained growth of STIs, more education and prevention strategies must be deployed, especially among the youngest, in addition to reinforcing screening and early diagnosis of infections. During the presentation of the new STI care model, they announced that in 2026 the system for reporting infections directly from the clinical station that primary care professionals have in their consultations will be implemented. "These are individual diseases that must be addressed from a population perspective. It is not just about curing the infected person, a community intervention must also be carried out" to cut transmission, argued Fernández.
According to the Department of Health, this model will improve the surveillance of sexual infections with a "direct and agile" reporting system. Fernández explained that the results will be available in the Surveillance System of Infections of Catalonia (SIVIC) for public consultation.
