Screening for sexually transmitted infections in high school students in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq: a school-based...

Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) are a major, long-lasting problem and priority for public health all over the world, coming along with various health issues. This study identified the prevalence of STIs among high school students in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI) in 2025.

The cross-sectional research was conducted on 591 high school students in the KRI as part of an STI screening program carried out by the Preventive Health Department.

The average age of the participants was 16.31 years (15-19 years), and there were slightly more women (57.2%) than men involved. 10th grade was the most populated grade, with 55.2% of students; almost all were Kurdish (98.7%) and Muslim (91.4%). In terms of risk behaviors, the majority did not have any surgery (86.5%) or dental work done (95.6%); none of them reported sharing needles or personal articles. Very few people had transfusions (0.9%), tattoos (1.0%), or piercings (0.5%). Use of illicit drugs was extremely rare (0.2%). Vaccination coverage against hepatitis B was very low (5.9%), with 81.6% of the population being unvaccinated. The results of the laboratory tests indicated that the prevalence of HBV was 0.7%, while HCV and HIV were not present. Only one case of syphilis was reported (0.2%).

The results indicate that high school students in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI) have very low overall STI rates, with very few cases of HBV and syphilis and no HIV or HCV cases, coupled with minor involvement in high-risk behaviors. One of the concerns highlighted is the extremely low rate of HBV vaccination coverage.