However, STI control remains challenging in most settings, particularly in low- and middle-income countries where the health system infrastructure is least developed and the burden of STI-related complications is highest. Safe and effective vaccines against two STIs have been major advances in global health. The first STI vaccine was developed over 30 years ago against HBV infection, which can be transmitted perinatally and parenterally as well as sexually [3]. HBV vaccine has now been adopted into infant immunization programs in 93% of countries and has already prevented an estimated 1.3 million deaths [4] and [5]. The second STI vaccine, against HPV, was developed recently Autophagy activator and found to be highly efficacious

in preventing infection with HPV types causing 70% of cervical cancers [6]. Countries achieving

good HPV vaccination coverage have already observed marked benefits against proximal HPV-related outcomes such as genital warts [7] and [8]. Limitations of available prevention interventions for other STIs provide important reasons for working toward additional STI vaccines as well. The goal of this article is to summarize the global epidemiology of STIs and STI-associated complications, to examine challenges to existing interventions for STI control, and to discuss the need for new STI vaccines for future prevention efforts. WHO estimates that 499 million new cases of curable STIs occurred in 2008 among 15–49 year-olds globally: 106 million cases of chlamydia, 106 million selleck kinase inhibitor cases of gonorrhea, 11 million cases of syphilis, and 276 million cases of trichomoniasis [9]. The prevalence of these infections at any point during 2008 was 360 million cases. STI numbers were high across all world regions, but incidence rates were highest in the WHO Region of the Americas and the WHO African Region (Fig. 1) [9]. Men and women were similarly likely to acquire new STIs, with a male to female ratio of 1.14 [9]. The number of new curable STIs does not appear to be decreasing; the 2005 WHO estimate was 448 million cases [9] and [10]. Because viral STIs can be chronic, they comprise a large proportion of prevalent STIs.

Approximately 291 million women have an HPV infection at any point in time [11], and it is likely that not the numbers of HPV-infected men are similar [12] and [13]. HSV-2 infection, which is lifelong, affects an estimated 536 million people aged 15–49 years globally [14]. Approximately 360 million people suffer from chronic HBV infections, although most of these were acquired perinatally or in early childhood [3]. It should be noted that global estimates, especially for the curable STIs, have relied on the few regions with systematic STI surveillance along with a relatively small number of prevalence studies among discrete populations (n = 180, WHO 2008 estimates) [9]. Fewer data exist from areas with limited laboratory infrastructure.