Sexually transmitted diseases: what do I risk with a kiss? Mistakes and fakes made by young people
Research by the Istituto Superiore di Sanità: boys and girls still poorly informed about prevention and transmission methods, infections are growing throughout Europe
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But is it true that Aids is transmitted by a kiss? And can mosquitoes infect me? What do I risk if I share a drink? These are some of the questions still being asked by young people to the AIDS and Sexually Transmitted Infections (STI) hotline of the Istituto Superiore di Sanità, which is 38 years old on 20 June. It is a sign of deep misinformation on the origin not only of HIV but also of syphilis, gonorrhoea and chlamydia that makes boys and girls vulnerable. And the data on the spread of sexually transmitted diseases across Europe are worrying. In the last 10 years, the number of cases of syphilis, gonorrhoea and chlamydia has risen by 100%, 321% and 13% respectively, according to data recently published by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), which is sounding the alarm precisely about the youth age group.
Warning in Europe on the spread of Ist
."In many cases, young people are not very well informed about these diseases, especially about how they are transmitted,' emphasises Anna Colucci, head of the psycho-socio-behavioural research, communication and training operative unit of the Department of Infectious Diseases of the Italian National Institute of Health - 'They express the fear that a kiss can transmit the HIV infection or that mosquitoes and insects can act as a vehicle, they wonder about the risks of having shared a drink or food or having frequented a public toilet. For young people, it is not taken for granted that they have the correct knowledge about how sexually transmitted diseases are actually transmitted.
One in ten calls come from under 25
.In a research study, experts focused on the last three years, from June 2022 to June 2025, a time span in which one in 10 calls came from people under 25, with peaks particularly in the 20-24 age group.
Approximately 10,000 questions were asked, relating in 4 out of 10 cases to modes of transmission of HIV and other STIs and in 3 out of 10 cases to access to diagnostic examinations and dedicated facilities in the area.
"The Aids and STI hotline," Colucci continues, "pursues the goal of adding important pieces of knowledge in this age group, as well as awareness of risky behaviour. Compared to the many young people who call, there are large segments of the youth population who do not know about this information opportunity offered free of charge and anonymously: the real challenge is to intercept them".
