Toward Eliminating Sexually Transmitted Infections: Monitoring, Evaluating Global Progress, Equity and Sustainability

A special issue of Venereology (ISSN 2674-0710).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 August 2026 | Viewed by 969

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Research Center for Health Policy and Economics, Hitotsubashi Institute for Advanced Study (HIAS), Hitotsubashi University, Tokyo 186-8601, Japan
Interests: Universal health coverage; infectious diseases; HIV/AIDS; COVID-19; reproductive mother, newborn, and child health; non-communicable diseases; cancers; financial risk protection
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Guest Editor
Graduate School of Public Health, St. Luke’s International University, Tokyo 104-0045, Japan
Interests: quantitative health systems assessment; statistics; simulation; modeling; epidemiology; public health
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The elimination of sexually transmitted infections (STI), a major public health concern, is a critical milestone in the achievement of Universal Health Coverage (UHC) and other health-related Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

To achieve these ambitious targets, monitoring and evaluating the framework of UHC with accessibility, affordability, and availability of STI prevention and treatment services are key to supporting government and policymakers in timely adaptation of national policies and programs.

In this Special Issue, we aim to provide the most comprehensive and up-to-date evidence-based information on the current progress of global STI control and management, monitoring and evaluating the equity and sustainability of STI prevention and treatment services and other dimensions of the UHC framework, including financial protection for using STI services.

We are seeking submissions of original research on STI epidemiology, economic evaluation, and inequality analysis. Solid brief reports, systematic reviews, clinical studies, and research protocols are also welcome.

Dr. Phuong The Nguyen
Prof. Dr. Stuart Gilmour
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • STI elimination
  • Universal Health Coverage
  • Treponema pallidum
  • Neisseria gonorrhoeae
  • congenital syphilis
  • human papillomavirus
  • HIV/AIDS
  • monkeypox

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

20 pages, 1041 KiB  
Article
The Cost of Cutbacks: How Reduction in Development Assistance for Health May Affect Progress Made in HIV/AIDS Control in Africa
by Richmond Nketia, Daniel Atta-Nyarko, Ebenezer Gyamfi, Rostand Dimitri Messanga Bessala, Naomi Adotei, Benjamin Asare-Kyei, Faustina Ameyaa Marfo, Prosper Tonwisi Luri, Charles Limula, Abubakr Ahmed Farhan, Michele Castelli and Austin Gideon Adobasom-Anane
Venereology 2025, 4(2), 8; https://doi.org/10.3390/venereology4020008 - 29 May 2025
Viewed by 417
Abstract
Background/Objectives: The recent Executive Order suspending the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) programmes, including Development Assistance for Health (DAH), has sparked serious debates about the sustainability of ongoing HIV/AIDS control programmes, particularly in Africa. In this study, we examined HIV/AIDS-specific DAH [...] Read more.
Background/Objectives: The recent Executive Order suspending the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) programmes, including Development Assistance for Health (DAH), has sparked serious debates about the sustainability of ongoing HIV/AIDS control programmes, particularly in Africa. In this study, we examined HIV/AIDS-specific DAH allocation to Africa from 1990 to 2022, and the potential effects of funding cutbacks on disease outcomes. Methods: We nested 54 countries within five sub-regions of Africa and applied linear mixed-effects models to estimate the effects of DAH on HIV/AIDS incidence and mortality rates, accounting for clustering by sub-region and potential variability due to baseline incidence and mortality and other sources of heterogeneity. Results: Total DAH allocated to Africa increased from US$534,343 in 1990 to US$5,273,264 in 2022. The United States (U.S.) public sector contributed nearly two-thirds (US$58,399,088; 63.01%) of the total funding. Most of these funds were disbursed to Southern and Eastern Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), particularly countries with the highest HIV/AIDS burdens, including South Africa and Kenya. The fixed effects results and predicted margins indicate that, in addition to having a direct effect, U.S. public sector-specific DAH moderates the effectiveness of other international donor funding and domestic general government health spending (GHES) on HIV/AIDS incidence and mortality. Conclusions: Based on the historical trends and funding interactions, the cutback in U.S. DAH could be associated with weakening of the overall effectiveness of other donor funding and GHES. However, any future effects are contingent on African countries’ resilience to evolving challenges and resource allocation. Full article
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