France, Germany Struggle to Fight STD Rise

At least in France, safety cannot be priced: Since January 1, everyone under the age of 26 has been entitled to free condoms thanks to the government. The action comes after the nation's decision to provide free birth control to women up to the age of 25 last year.

The new legislation, according to President Emmanuel Macron, is intended to stop the spread of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), which are on the rise in Europe. According to reports, STD cases increased 30% in France in both 2020 and 2021.

In contrast, Germany is less generous when it comes to providing reproductive healthcare. Contraceptives like the pill and intrauterine devices (IUDs) must be purchased by women, though those under the age of 22 may have their prescription costs covered by their insurers.

Contrary to condoms, these contraceptives do not protect against STDs while they do prevent pregnancies. In Germany, condoms can be purchased over-the-counter, but they are not free.

The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDCSurveillance )'s Atlas of Infectious Diseases reveals that the number of reported STD cases has been rising across the EU/EEA in recent years. Since 2009, there have been more reported occurrences of gonorrhoea in the area, but they have dramatically decreased since 2019, probably as a result of a pandemic-related decline in social interactions and screening.

25 to 34-year-olds were the most severely afflicted age group, with the majority of cases reported in Spain, the Netherlands, and France.

Despite the fact that the Surveillance Atlas does not offer statistics for chlamydia infections across the entire EU, confirmed case counts do demonstrate a noticeable increase from the early 1990s and a consistently high case number up until 2019. Most infections were found in people between the ages of 15 and 24.