Sexually Transmitted Disease Vaccines 2023

Sexually Transmitted Disease Vaccines June 2023

U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved vaccines can prevent certain sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) caused by infections from bacteria, viruses, or parasites, says the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH). In addition, the NIH/National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) works with genomic sequencing to further accelerate STD biological research, empowering the development of preventive and therapeutic vaccines. Confidential STD tests can be ordered at Ulta Lab in 2023.

Sexually Transmitted Disease Vaccines

Chlamydia Vaccines - candidates continue in pre-clinical research.

Epstein-Barr Virus - vaccine and monoclonal antibody candidates are conducting early-stage clinical studies.

Gonorrhea Vaccines - meningococcal vaccine evaluation continues in clinical studies.

Hepatitis Vaccines - are authorized in 2023.

Herpes Vaccines - candidates continue in clinical studies. 

HIV Vaccines - continue in clinical studies.

HPV Vaccines - are approved and offered in most countries worldwide.

Mpox Vaccines - are authorized, however, research in 2023 indicates Mpox vaccination is not 100% protective.

Syphilis Vaccines - continue in clinical research.

Sexually Transmitted Disease Vaccines

The Sexually Transmitted Infections National Strategic Plan (STI Plan) sets forth a vision for the nation with goals, objectives, and strategies to prevent and control STIs in the U.S. In addition, on April 21, 2023, the NIH’s Herpes Simplex Virus Strategic Plan announced a Request for Information inviting comments and suggestions on critical strategic approaches to develop a Herpes Simplex Virus Strategic Plan.

STDs include Chlamydia, gonorrhea, Herpes, HIV/AIDS, Mpox, human papillomavirus (HPV), hepatitis, and syphilis. ValuePenguin published a study in February 2023 that found that since 2000, the number of STDs in the U.S. has significantly increased. For example, on April 11, 2023, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported chlamydia, gonorrhea, and syphilis infections reached more than 2.5 million people. Recently, a study published in February 2023 concluded that STIs (Chlamydia, gonorrhea) cause substantial lifetime quality-adjusted life-years lost among infected women. 

Sexually Transmitted Disease Vaccine Research 2023

May 23 - 2023 - Pediatrics published - Trends in Reasons for Human Papillomavirus Vaccine Hesitancy: 2010–2020.

April 20, 2023 - Researchers from the Kenya Medical Research Institute and Massachusetts General Hospital announced the KEN SHE study shows that a single dose of HPV vaccine is highly efficacious in preventing persistent infections over three years.

April 11, 2023 - The STD Surveillance Data for 2021 indicates that STIs have reached a new record high for an eighth consecutive year.

March 1, 2023 - The U.S. NIAID seeks applicants who can develop advanced vaccines for STI pathogens with limited candidates in the product development pipeline through the new request for applications - Sexually Transmitted Infections Cooperative Research Centers Vaccine Development.

February 20, 2023 - Researchers from the University of Washington, Kenya Medical Research Institute, and Hennepin Healthcare Research Institute announced results from a clinical trial demonstrating that doxycycline taken after sex does not prevent bacterial sexually transmitted infections (Chlamydia or gonorrhea) among cisgender women.

Sexually Transmitted Disease Treatment

The U.S. NIH announced in April 2023 that taking the oral antibiotic doxycycline within three days after unprotected sex reduced the risk of sexually transmitted infections among those at increased risk. In addition, the DoxyPEP phase 3 clinical study examined the incidence of gonorrhea, chlamydia, and syphilis and found that doxycycline reduced the risk of STIs caused by certain types of bacteria by 66%.

The peer-review NEJM journal published the finding from Original Research on April 6, 2023, led by the University of California, San Francisco, that a phase 4 clinical trial found the combined incidence of Gonorrhea, Chlamydia, and Syphilis was lower by two-thirds with doxycycline postexposure prophylaxis than with standard care.

Sexually Transmitted Disease Tests

The U.S. CDC publishes STD testing information as of April 2023 for Gonorrhea, Syphilis, and Chlamydia. Some STDs can be passed from a pregnant woman to the baby. Other STDs may be spread through blood transfusions or by sharing needles. Tests for these STDs can be ordered at www.ultalabtests.com. And the CDC’s GetTested online resource helps people locate free and confidential STD testing sites. 

On February 14, 2023, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force Issued Final Recommendation Statement on Serologic Screening for Genital Herpes Infection. Based on the evidence, the Task Force does not recommend serologic screening for genital Herpes in people without signs or symptoms. In addition, the Task Force concluded with moderate certainty that the harms outweigh the benefits of population-based screening for genital HSV infection in asymptomatic adolescents and adults, including pregnant women.

Sexually Transmitted Disease Health Impact

A study presented the average lifetime number of quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) lost per infection. The estimated average number of QALYs lost due to Genital Herpes (0.05 QALYs) is smaller than that due to HIV (5.80 QALYs), syphilis (0.09 QALYs), and gonorrhea (among women, 0.09 QALYs). In comparison, the burden of Genital Herpes is more significant than that of per gonorrhea infection among men (0.0015-0.002 QALYs). At the population level, the estimated total quality-of-life burden due to Genital Herpes (33,100 QALYs) exceeds that of syphilis (13,300 QALYs), mainly due to the higher incidence.