The current status of sexually transmitted infections in South Korean children in the last 10 years

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to review the status of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) in children in South Korea between 2010 and 2019, as well as to establish guidelines for the prevention and management to reduce the incidence of STIs in children. METHODS: Data reports from 590 STI surveillance institutions in local health center, hospital-level medical institutions with urology or obstetrics/gynecology departments and public hospitals between 2010 and 2019 in the integrative disease management system of the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency as of December 2020 were analyzed. RESULTS: A total of 172,645 cases of STIs were reported over the 10-year period (2010–2019), of which 2,179 cases (1.26%) represented STIs in children below the age of 18 years. A higher incidence of infections was observed in girls (1,499 cases, 68.79%) than in boys (680 cases, 31.21%). The STIs that had the highest incidence were, in descending order, chlamydial infections (997 cases, 45.75%), gonorrhea (592 cases, 27.17%), condyloma acuminata (338 cases, 15.51%), genital herpes (250 cases, 11.47%), and chancroid (2 cases, 0.09%). In adolescents aged 14 to 17 years, chlamydial infections, genital herpes, and gonorrhea were most frequently reported. Condyloma acuminata, in particular, have been consistently reported in children below the age of 14 years. CONCLUSION: Children must be protected legally and institutionally from sexual abuse. Specific management protocols for STIs in children must be established by local governments and associated organizations. National human papillomavirus vaccination programs should be expanded to include boys, and anti-STI educational efforts using modern media should be more activated.