Number of senior citizens in Korea with STDs jumps 61%

As more elderly men and women engage in unsafe sexual practices, the number of senior citizens who have contracted a range of sexually-transmitted diseases (STDs) has increased by 61 percent over the past four years.

The National Health Insurance Corp. said Friday that the number of Koreans aged over 65, treated at least once for syphilis and other STDs, stood at 17,265 across the country in 2010, up 61 percent from 10,713 in 2006. In reality, the number is likely to be much higher as many sufferers are reluctant to actively seek treatment.

“I think many senior citizens dealing with STDs are hesitant to come to the hospital because they feel ashamed. It is a generally-accepted social norm that the elderly are not interested in having sex,” said Lee Yoon-soo, urologist and director of the Korea Institute for Sexology.

Lee said, thanks to the availability of Viagra and other impotence drugs, more elderly men can be sexually active.

“But in many cases, their wives are not interested. Or the men are without partners. So, they go to prostitutes. The problem is that many sex buyers and prostitutes do not use condoms nor engage in any safe sex practices,” the urologist said.

Lee said the senior citizens should take on safe sex habits and if they are infected with STDs, they should seek treatment immediately. He also said the government should make greater efforts to increase awareness about the risks of unprotected sex.

The agency also said a total of 352,000 Koreans nationwide were treated for various STDs last year, up from 330,300 in 2006.

If you consider the HUGE sex trade in Korea. I wonder what the real number of Koreans with STDs and AIDS is? I would think we are looking at over 1 million cases at least.

fvisajobs