Epidemiological Characteristics of Sexually Transmitted Infections in Mongolia, 2021–2025

Abstract

Background: Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) remain a major public health concern worldwide. Aim: This study aimed to determine the epidemiological patterns of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) reported in Mongolia. Materials and Methods: A retrospective cross-sectional design was employed, utilizing surveillance data on STIs and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing results from a total of 72 health facilities. Results: The findings indicate that the overall prevalence of STIs in the general population has not declined and remains consistently high. The most commonly reported infections-syphilis (10.8–15.0), gonorrhea (9.1–11.4), trichomoniasis (7.0–8.2), and chlamydial infection (0.1–0.8)-have shown persistently elevated rates over the study period. Furthermore, STI morbidity was significantly higher among individuals aged 20–39 years, representing the sexually active population, as well as among those with complete secondary education, those who were married, and those who were employed (p<0.001). Conclusion: An important finding of this study is that although the number of real-time PCR tests conducted for STI detection and the corresponding positivity rate increased from 0.9% to 9.5%, the proportion of reported cases remains relatively low. This suggests limited accessibility to PCR diagnostics and insufficient reporting and surveillance of STIs. These findings highlight the need to strengthen laboratory diagnostic capacity, as well as to improve integrated surveillance and reporting systems, in order to effectively reduce the burden of STIs at the national level.