Abstracto

Replacing a broken paradigm for STD control and prevention.

Bosena Endalew*

Since the 1980s, when HIV first appeared, STI reduction initiatives have become more closely tied to HIV programme aims. Despite the fact that HIV is a STI in and of it, attempts to stop its spread are primarily handled through programmes that are funded, carried out, and assessed separately from other STI control initiatives. Unfavourable effects resulted from a paradigm that is so shattered. Too frequently, inadequate financing causes neglected STI programmes to fail. These programmes served as the cornerstone for HIV prevention initiatives. Pregnant women may be provided HIV testing but are no longer examined for syphilis, and STI reporting, a key indicator of trends in sexual transmission, has entirely collapsed. As a result, STI clinics and services are understaffed, under stocked, or have completely disappeared.