Background and Objectives: The World Health Organization estimates that over a million people contract sexually transmitted diseases daily. Given the significant impact of these diseases on public health in developing countries, this study aims to investigate the epidemiology and burden of sexually transmitted diseases in the Eastern Mediterranean countries.
Methods: This study utilized global disease burden data from The Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation to examine sexually transmitted disease indicators in the Eastern Mediterranean region, encompassing 22 countries from 1990 to 2019. Analyses related to the lost years index, considering premature death and disability (DALY), incidence rate, prevalence rate, mortality rate, and standardized age rates, were conducted. All estimates are reported with 95% uncertainly interval due to various sources of error, including measurement bias and modeling. Microsoft Office Excel 2016 was employed for all analyses.
Results: The age-standardized incidence and prevalence of sexually transmitted diseases in the Eastern Mediterranean region decreased from 9053 and 13424 in 1990 to 8658 and 13143 in 2019, respectively, and the age-standardized death rate increased from 2 to 4 per 100,000 people.
Conclusion: Considering the economic burden caused by these diseases in the Eastern Mediterranean region, it is necessary for the health policy makers to develop intervention strategies for prevention and health planning.
