Sexually Transmitted Infections - Prevalence, Knowledge and Behaviours among Professional Defence Forces in Estonia: a Pilot Study

Abstract

These findings indicate a lower STI occurrence among professional defence forces in Estonia compared with the non-military population. While these rates were lower than expected, as a voluntary study, people suspicious of having an STI might opt not to participate, limiting generalizability to the remainder of the military. Militaries without regular screening programmes could consider regular scheduled testing for STIs, HIV and blood borne pathogens, even if voluntary, especially prior to foreign deployment. Consistent testing would align across many militaries who deploy international peace keepers.

Sexually transmitted infections in soldiers – a cross-sectional assessment in German paratroopers and navy soldiers and a literature review

“…The French military reported an STI rate of 4.7% with C. trachomatis being the quantitatively by far dominating infectious agent [18]. Only 0.2% STI infections were detected in the course of a voluntary screening assessment in the Estonian army [19]. Similarly, a very low proportion of only 0.8% infections with C. trachomatis was observed in a military cohort in Poland, although 40% of the population reported sexual contacts with 2-4 and more partners within 12 months prior to the assessment [20].…”