Free condoms to be distributed to young people in Spain!

The Spanish government aims to distribute free condoms to the young population to raise awareness about sexual health and strengthen the fight against sexually transmitted diseases.

According to Sözcü, citing Euronews, Spanish Health Minister Monica Garcia first mentioned this plan at the Senate Health Commission. Garcia stated that just as vaccines are free for infection prevention, condoms are also an important prevention strategy.

SEXUALLY TRANSMITTED DISEASES HAVE INCREASED 3-FOLD IN RECENT YEARS

According to a new report published by the Ministry of Health, gonorrhea and syphilis infections in the country have been on the rise since the early 2000s. Cases of sexually transmitted infectious diseases caused by the chlamydia bacterium have increased more than three-fold per 100,000 people between 2016 and 2022.

According to the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), gonorrhea cases increased by 48 percent, syphilis cases by 34 percent, and chlamydia cases by 16 percent in 2022 compared to the previous year. In another EU country, France, condoms have been offered free of charge to young people under the age of 26 since January of last year, with the costs being reimbursed by the national health insurance system.