Changing demography of genital chlamydia, gonorrhea, genital herpes, condyloma and syphilis infections in Japan

Abstract

There was epidemiological correlation in time and in space between gonorrhea and genital chlamydia and between condyloma and genital herpes. There was, however, no correlation in other combinations, such as, gonorrhea and condyloma, genital herpes and chlamydia, etc. The annual incidence of gonorrhea and that of genital chlamydia were mono-phasic with a peak in 2005-2006. The annual incidence of condyloma and that of genital herpes were biphasic with the first distinct peak in 2004-2006 borne by younger generation and the second broad peak borne by the older generation that experienced the first wave.The epidemiology of syphilis was entirely different from gonorrhea, genital chlamydia, condyloma and genital herpes: the incidence of early, late and asymptomatic syphilis all started increasing around 2010 attaining total 1,576 notifications in 2017. The increase was associated with shift of patients’ peak age to younger generation. Preceding this increase, however, between 2005 and 2006, the annual number of congenital syphilis that had been ≥200 dropped to 12, and asymptomatic syphilis that had been annually <10 jumped up to 195 and increased continuously thereafter.