A Tool for Strengthening STI Surveillance at the Country Level

Among the communicable diseases, sexually transmitted infections (STI) remain major causes of morbidity and mortality. Yet, many STI-related illnesses and complications are preventable with feasible and effective interventions and services. Continuous collection of timely and accurate data on STI incidence and prevalence are crucial for understanding the epidemiology of STIs, monitoring interventions and informing treatment guidelines. Moreover, these data also provide useful markers of the sexual transmission of HIV and can be used to assess the effectiveness of STI/HIV prevention programmes.