ORIGINAL ARTICLES   

Giornale Italiano di Dermatologia e Venereologia 2005 February;140(1):55-8

Copyright © 2003 EDIZIONI MINERVA MEDICA

language: English, Italian

Street-prostitution in Brescia: actual condition and prevalence of sexually trasmitted diseases

Graifemberghi S. ¹, Ghidini A. ¹, Melzani G. ²

¹ Department of Dermatology Spedali Civili Brescia, “Centro MTS”, Brescia, Italy 2 Department of Biomedical and Surgical Section of Dermatology and Venereology University of Verona, Verona, Italy

Aim. To evaluate the prevalence of sexually transmitted disease (STD) in a group of extra-Community sex-workers in the Brescia.
Methods. Five hundred and seventy-eight extra-Community street-sex-workers (546 females, 32 males) underwent medical and serological examination to exclude human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection and syphilis. Culture swabs were also taken.
Results. The prevalence of STDs was 14.4%. Among the female’ group, it was 12%; the more prevalent STDs were vulvovaginitis/non gonococcal urethritis and anogenital condylomata. Among the male group, the prevalence of STDs was 53% and 21.8% were HIV-positive.
Conclusion. The sanitary situation regardingHIV-infection among transexual males is alarming, as already noticed in a group of transexual males in Rome. At the present time neither sanitary nor public security authorities are able to solve the problem; therefore, these people continue prostituting themselves, without informing their clients or attempting to prevent the infection.