1887
  1. Home
  2. Eurosurveillance
  3. Volume 31, Issue 28, 16/Jul/2026
  4. Article
Surveillance Open Access
Like 0
Download

SDG 3: STI

Abstract

BACKGROUND

While bacterial sexually transmitted infections (STIs) have increased across Europe over the past decade, Poland continuously reported the lowest notification rates in the European Union/European Economic Area (EU/EEA), raising concerns about under-ascertainment and diagnostic gaps.

AIM

We describe national STI trends in Poland from 2013 to 2024, temporal changes around 2020 and subsequent years, and demographic and geographic patterns relevant for STI control.

METHODS

We analysed aggregated statutory surveillance data for syphilis, gonorrhoea and C infections, and calculated annual incidence rates overall and by sex, age group and voivodeship. Temporal trends were assessed using year-over-year per cent change and average annual per cent change (AAPC) estimated from log-linear models.

RESULTS

All three infections increased modestly before 2020, declined in 2020 and increased markedly thereafter. Between 2013 and 2024, incidence increased 2.7–3.8-fold. It was highest among men, young adults aged 20–34 years and in urbanised regions. By 2023, syphilis incidence reached 7.92 per 100,000 population in Poland compared with 9.9 per 100,000 in the EU/EEA, whereas gonorrhoea and chlamydia incidence remained substantially lower. National AAPC estimates were not statistically significant, although they increased in several demographic groups and voivodeships.

CONCLUSION

Reported bacterial STI notifications in Poland are increasing, particularly among young adults and in urban regions. Persistently low gonorrhoea and chlamydia notification rates relative to EU/EEA levels probably reflect differences in diagnostic access and testing intensity rather than low transmission. Improving surveillance completeness, access to NAAT diagnostics, and testing coverage will be important to enhance detection and control.

© Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Loading

Article metrics loading...

/content/10.2807/1560-7917.ES.2026.31.28.2500916
2026-07-16
2026-08-11
/content/10.2807/1560-7917.ES.2026.31.28.2500916
Loading
Loading full text...

Full text loading...

/deliver/fulltext/eurosurveillance/31/28/eurosurv-31-28-3.html?itemId=/content/10.2807/1560-7917.ES.2026.31.28.2500916&mimeType=html&fmt=ahah

References

  1. World Health Organization (WHO). Implementing the global health sector strategies on HIV, viral hepatitis and sexually transmitted infections, 2022-2030: report on progress and gaps 2024. Geneva: WHO; 2024. https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789240094925
  2. World Health Organization (WHO). Global health sector strategy on sexually transmitted infections 2016-2021: towards ending STIs. Geneva: WHO; 2016. (WHO/RHR/16.09). Available from: https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/WHO-RHR-16.09
  3. European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC). Syphilis – Annual epidemiological report for 2023. Stockholm: ECDC; 2025. Available from: https://www.ecdc.europa.eu/en/publications-data/syphilis-annual-epidemiological-report-2023
  4. European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC). Gonorrhoea – Annual epidemiological report for 2023. Stockholm: ECDC; 2025. Available from: https://www.ecdc.europa.eu/en/publications-data/gonorrhoea-annual-epidemiological-report-2023
  5. European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC). Chlamydia – Annual epidemiological report for 2023. Stockholm: ECDC; 2025. Available from: https://www.ecdc.europa.eu/en/publications-data/chlamydia-annual-epidemiological-report-2023
  6. European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC). Syphilis – Annual epidemiological report for 2019. Stockholm: ECDC; 2022. Available from: https://www.ecdc.europa.eu/en/publications-data/syphilis-annual-epidemiological-report-2019
  7. European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control. Gonorrhoea – Annual epidemiological report for 2019. Stockholm: ECDC; 2023. Available from: https://www.ecdc.europa.eu/en/publications-data/gonorrhoea-annual-epidemiological-report-2019
  8. European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC). Chlamydia – Annual epidemiological report for 2019. Stockholm: ECDC; 2022. Available from: https://www.ecdc.europa.eu/en/publications-data/chlamydia-infection-annual-epidemiological-report-2019
  9. Department of Epidemiology and Surveillance of Infectious Diseases. Choroby zakaźne i zatrucia w Polsce, 2013–2024. [Infectious diseases and poisonings in Poland, 2013-2024]. Warsaw: National Institute of Public Health NIH – National Research Institute, Department of Epidemiology and Surveillance of Infectious Diseases; Chief Sanitary Inspectorate, Department of Epidemic Prevention and Border Sanitary Protection. NIZP PZH–PIB; 2013-2024. [Accessed: 15 Nov 2025]. Polish. Available from: https://wwwold.pzh.gov.pl/oldpage/epimeld/index_a.html
  10. Ustawa z dnia 5 grudnia 2008 r. o zapobieganiu oraz zwalczaniu zakażeń i chorób zakaźnych u ludzi. [Act of 5 December 2008 on the prevention and control of infections and infectious diseases in humans]. Dz. U. 2008;234: poz. 1570. Polish. Available from: https://isap.sejm.gov.pl/isap.nsf/download.xsp/WDU20082341570/U/D20081570Lj.pdf
  11. World Health Organization (WHO). International statistical classification of diseases and related health problems. 10th revision (ICD-10). Geneva: WHO. 2019. Available from: https://icd.who.int/browse10/2019/en
  12. Department of Epidemiology and Surveillance of Infectious Diseases. Definicje przypadków chorób zakaźnych na potrzeby nadzoru epidemiologicznego (67 definicji), Wersja robocza (6b). [Infectious disease case definitions for epidemiological surveillance (67 definitions). Draft (6b)]. Warsaw: National Institute of Public Health - National Institute of Hygiene; 2020. Polish. Available from: http://wwwold.pzh.gov.pl/oldpage/epimeld/inne/Def_PL2_6b.pdf
  13. R Core Team. R: A language and environment for statistical computing. Vienna: R Foundation for Statistical Computing; 2024. Available from: https://www.R-project.org
  14. Sentís A, Prats-Uribe A, López-Corbeto E, Montoro-Fernandez M, Nomah DK, de Olalla PG, et al. The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Sexually Transmitted Infections surveillance data: incidence drop or artefact? BMC Public Health. 2021;21(1):1637.  https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-021-11630-x  PMID: 34493244 
  15. Soriano V, Blasco-Fontecilla H, Gallego L, Fernández-Montero JV, Mendoza C, Barreiro P. Rebound in sexually transmitted infections after the COVID-19 pandemic. AIDS Rev. 2023;26(3):127-35.  https://doi.org/10.24875/AIDSRev.23000015  PMID: 37879632 
  16. Sonubi T, Sheik-Mohamud D, Ratna N, Bell J, Talebi A, Mercer CH, et al. STI testing, diagnoses and online chlamydia self-sampling among young people during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic in England. Int J STD AIDS. 2023;34(12):841-53.  https://doi.org/10.1177/09564624231180641  PMID: 37287231 
  17. Charles H, Ratna N, Thorn L, Sonubi T, Sun S, Mohammed H, et al. COVID-19 impact on bacterial sexually transmitted infections in England between 1 January 2019 and 31 December 2020. Sex Transm Infect. 2022;98(7):537-8.  https://doi.org/10.1136/sextrans-2021-055262  PMID: 34548415 
  18. De Baetselier I, Apers L, Platteau T, Buyze J, Florence E, Kenyon C, et al. The impact of physical restriction measures imposed during the two waves of COVID-19 on chlamydia and gonorrhea diagnoses in Belgium. Results of an sexually transmitted infection clinic. Int J STD AIDS. 2021;32(11):998-1003.  https://doi.org/10.1177/09564624211013289  PMID: 34096386 
  19. Rzymski P, Zarębska-Michaluk D, Parczewski M, Genowska A, Poniedziałek B, Strukcinskiene B, et al. The burden of infectious diseases throughout and after the COVID-19 pandemic (2020-2023) and Russo-Ukrainian war migration. J Med Virol. 2024;96(5):e29651.  https://doi.org/10.1002/jmv.29651  PMID: 38712743 
  20. Krajowe Centrum ds. AIDS. Szczegółowe sprawozdanie z realizacji krajowego programu zapobiegania zakażeniom hiv i zwalczania aids w roku 2024. [Report on the implementation of the National Programme for the Prevention of HIV Infections and the Control of AIDS in 2024]. Warsaw: Krajowe Centrum ds. AIDS; 2025. Polish. Available from: https://www.gov.pl/web/aids/sprawozdania-z-harmonogramu-2022---2026
  21. Teter Z, Majkut G, Wierzba W, Śliwczyński A, Brzozowska M, Jacyna A, et al. Syphilis in Poland is on the rise and underreported. Postepy Dermatol Alergol. 2019;36(2):192-5.  https://doi.org/10.5114/ada.2019.84595  PMID: 31320853 
  22. Niedźwiedzka-Stadnik M, Zakrzewska K. Syphilis in Poland in 2021-2022. Przegl Epidemiol. 2024;78(4):512-23.  https://doi.org/10.32394/pe/202062  PMID: 40101015 
  23. Zakrzewska K, Niedźwiedzka-Stadnik M. Gonorrhoea in Poland in 2022. Przegl Epidemiol. 2024;78(4):447-58.  https://doi.org/10.32394/pe/195723  PMID: 40101011 
  24. Krajowe Centrum ds. AIDS. Krajowa Strategia Zapobiegania Zakażeniom przenoszonym drogą płciową (zpdp) na lata 2027-2031. [National Strategy for the Prevention of Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs) 2027-2031]. Warszawa: Krajowe Centrum ds. AIDS. [Accessed: 18 Feb 2026]. Polish. Available from: https://www.gov.pl/web/aids/krajowa-strategia-zapobiegania-zakazeniom-przenoszonym-droga-plciowa-stis-na-lata-20272031
Trends in syphilis, gonorrhoea and chlamydia: a descriptive analysis of national surveillance data, Poland, 2013 to 2024
<p class="citation"> <span>Citation style for this article:</span> <span class="meta-value authors"> <a href="/search?value1=Damian+Kadylak&option1=author&noRedirect=true" class="nonDisambigAuthorLink">Kadylak Damian</a>, <a href="/search?value1=Maciej+Pastuszczak&option1=author&noRedirect=true" class="nonDisambigAuthorLink">Pastuszczak Maciej</a>, <a href="/search?value1=Justyna+Czarny-Kamm&option1=author&noRedirect=true" class="nonDisambigAuthorLink">Czarny-Kamm Justyna</a>, <a href="/search?value1=Ma%C5%82gorzata+Soko%C5%82owska-Wojdy%C5%82o&option1=author&noRedirect=true" class="nonDisambigAuthorLink">Sokołowska-Wojdyło Małgorzata</a></span>. Trends in syphilis, gonorrhoea and chlamydia: a descriptive analysis of national surveillance data, Poland, 2013 to 2024. <a href="/content/ecdc">Euro Surveill.</a> 2026;31(28):pii=2500916. <a href="https://doi.org/10.2807/1560-7917.ES.2026.31.28.2500916" title="doi link" target="_blank">https://doi.org/10.2807/1560-7917.ES.2026.31.28.2500916</a> <span class="ES_Article_citation"> <span class="generated">Received</span>: 04 Dec 2025;&nbsp;&nbsp; <span class="generated">Accepted</span>: 31 Mar 2026 </span> </p>
/content/10.2807/1560-7917.ES.2026.31.28.2500916
/content/10.2807/1560-7917.ES.2026.31.28.2500916
Loading

Data & Media loading...

Supplementary data

Submit comment
Close
Comment moderation successfully completed
This is a required field
Please enter a valid email address
Approval was a Success
Invalid data
An Error Occurred
Approval was partially successful, following selected items could not be processed due to error