Comparative Analysis of the Incidence of Selected Sexually Transmitted Viral Infections in Poland in 2010–2015: A Retrospective Cohort Study

Abstract

Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) represent a major cause of morbidity in women and men worldwide. The main aim of this study was to perform a comparative analysis of the incidence of sexually transmitted viral infections in 2010–2015 in Poland, taking into account the administrative division of the country into provinces. This was a retrospective study. The analysed data came from the Centre for Health Information Systems of the Ministry of Health and the National Institute of Public Health-National Research Institute and constituted information from the epidemiological surveillance system in Poland. We collected data on the incidence of the following diseases: genital herpes (HSV), genital warts, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). The key groups with the highest risk of infection were young people between 20 and 29 years of age. The reported data on the incidence of genital herpes in Poland (n = 3378; 1.5/100,000) showed a downward trend, which does not coincide with global trends. Genital warts were the most frequent genital infections in Poland (n = 7980; 3.46/100,000), with significant regional variation. Over the analysed period, the situation of newly detected HIV infections seemed to be stable (n = 7144; 3.1/100,000). The incidence of these infections appeared to be highly correlated with urbanisation rates, which was not confirmed in the case of other analysed infections. The worsening epidemic situation with respect to sexually transmitted infections, the inefficiency of the current surveillance system and the reduction in funding for diagnosis and prevention, combined with inadequate legal solutions, make it necessary to undertake new legal and organisational measures aimed at improving the reproductive health in Poland in terms of sexually transmitted infections.