{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,27]],"date-time":"2026-07-27T06:01:28Z","timestamp":1785132088854,"version":"3.55.0"},"reference-count":28,"publisher":"Frontiers Media SA","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,27]],"date-time":"2026-07-27T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1785110400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["frontiersin.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Front. Public Health"],"abstract":"<jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Introduction<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>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.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Methods<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>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.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Results<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>The average age of the participants was 16.31\u202fyears (15\u201319\u202fyears), 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%).<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Conclusion<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>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.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.3389\/fpubh.2026.1854348","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,27]],"date-time":"2026-07-27T05:39:34Z","timestamp":1785130774000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Screening for sexually transmitted infections in high school students in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq: a school-based screening study"],"prefix":"10.3389","volume":"14","author":[{"given":"Waleed Salih","family":"Rasheed","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Public Health, College of Health and Medical Technology, Duhok Polytechnic University","place":["Duhok, Iraq"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Waleed Khalid","family":"Ibrahim","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Public Health, College of Health and Medical Technology, Duhok Polytechnic University","place":["Duhok, Iraq"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Azad","family":"Jameel Hussein","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Public Health Department, College of Health and Medical Technology-Shekhan, Duhok Polytechnic University","place":["Kurdistan Region, Iraq"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Farhad Shahab","family":"Isamael","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"General Directorate of Health","place":["Duhok, Iraq"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Nazik","family":"Abdulrahman","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"General Directorate of Health","place":["Duhok, Iraq"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Deldar Morad","family":"Abdulah","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Community Health Nursing and Psychiatric Nursing Unit, College of Nursing, University of Duhok","place":["Kurdistan Region, Iraq"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Sagvan","family":"Ali","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Duhok Directorate General of Health","place":["Duhok, Iraq"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1965","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,27]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref1","volume-title":"Knowledge and Attitudes towards Sexually Transmitted Infections among Medical Groups and Non-Medical Colleges at Baghdad University 2024","author":"Talib","year":"2025"},{"key":"ref2","volume-title":"Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs)","year":"2025"},{"key":"ref3","volume-title":"Sexually Transmitted Infections among Adolescents. The need for Adequate Health Services","author":"Dehne","year":"2005"},{"key":"ref4","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"6696316","DOI":"10.1155\/2021\/6696316","article-title":"Assessing and improving the knowledge of sexually transmitted infections among high school adolescents","volume":"2021","author":"Jefferson","year":"2021","journal-title":"Dermatol Res Pract"},{"key":"ref5","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"100788","DOI":"10.1016\/j.srhc.2022.100788","article-title":"Testing a psychosocial model of sexual communication and sexual risk-taking: a cross-sectional, online survey study of Australian university students","volume":"34","author":"Anderson","year":"2022","journal-title":"Sex Reprod Healthc"},{"key":"ref6","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"585","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jpag.2022.04.001","article-title":"Primary contraceptive method use and sexually transmitted infections in a nationally representative sample of young women","volume":"35","author":"Whitfield","year":"2022","journal-title":"J Pediatr Adolesc Gynecol"},{"key":"ref7","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"245","DOI":"10.5114\/hivar\/150817","article-title":"Awareness and perception of prevention and management options of sexually transmitted infections among students at secondary school in Rivers state, Nigeria","volume":"23","author":"Mandah","year":"2024","journal-title":"HIV AIDS Rev"},{"key":"ref8","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1","DOI":"10.25259\/IJDVL_978_2021","article-title":"Assessment of knowledge regarding sexually transmitted infections among high school students in an educational sub-district in southern India\u2014a cross-sectional study","volume":"90","author":"Sunil","year":"2024","journal-title":"Indian J Dermatol Venereol Leprol"},{"key":"ref9","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1017300","DOI":"10.3389\/fpubh.2023.1017300","article-title":"Assessing knowledge, attitudes, and practices toward sexually transmitted infections among Baghdad undergraduate students for research-guided sexual health education","volume":"11","author":"Al-Gburi","year":"2023","journal-title":"Front Public Health"},{"key":"ref10","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"2006","DOI":"10.1186\/s12889-021-12091-y","article-title":"The future of STI screening and treatment for youth: a National Survey of youth perspectives and intentions","volume":"21","author":"Gogineni","year":"2021","journal-title":"BMC Public Health"},{"key":"ref11","first-page":"601","article-title":"Condom use among high-risk","volume":"123","author":"Disapproval","year":"2008","journal-title":"Public Health Rep"},{"key":"ref12","volume-title":"HIV in the Middle East: low Prevalence but not low risk","author":"Setayesh","year":"2013"},{"key":"ref13","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"158","DOI":"10.24017\/science.2025.1.10","article-title":"Clinicoepidemiological findings and pathological characteristics of different types of cutaneous warts","volume":"10","author":"Abdullah","year":"2025","journal-title":"Kurdistan J Appl Res"},{"key":"ref14","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"215","DOI":"10.54133\/ajms.v8i1.1759","article-title":"Basic knowledge about cervical cancer and its screening tests among secondary school teachers in Baghdad City","volume":"8","author":"Zaidan","year":"2025","journal-title":"Al-Rafidain J Med Sci"},{"key":"ref15","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"497","DOI":"10.1016\/S0140-6736(19)30298-3","article-title":"Population-level impact and herd effects following the introduction of human papillomavirus vaccination programmes: updated systematic review and meta-analysis","volume":"394","author":"Drolet","year":"2019","journal-title":"Lancet"},{"key":"ref16","volume-title":"Sexually Transmitted Infections: Issues in Adolescent Health and Development. WHO Discussion Papers on Adolescence","author":"Brabin","year":"2004"},{"key":"ref17","article-title":"Factors influencing sexually transmitted diseases among selected secondary school students in Egbeda local government area, Oyo state, Nigeria","volume":"5","author":"Iyabo","year":"2024","journal-title":"J Comm Med and Pub Health Rep"},{"key":"ref18","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"95","DOI":"10.1016\/j.glohj.2022.04.002","article-title":"Knowledge of sexually transmitted infections among senior high school adolescents in the Wa municipality of Ghana","volume":"6","author":"Koray","year":"2022","journal-title":"Glob Health J"},{"key":"ref19","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"16","DOI":"10.5539\/gjhs.v7n1p16","article-title":"Knowledge about HIV\/AIDS among high school students in Erbil city\/Iraq","volume":"7","author":"Othman","year":"2014","journal-title":"Global J Health Sci"},{"key":"ref20","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"28","DOI":"10.33899\/mmed.2012.64497","article-title":"Clinical and epidemiological patterns of ano-genital warts among male patients in Erbil city, Iraq","volume":"38","author":"Ismail","year":"2012","journal-title":"Ann Coll Med Mosul"},{"key":"ref21","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"101750","DOI":"10.1016\/j.cegh.2024.101750","article-title":"Factors associated with the symptoms onset and check up with testing for sexually transmitted infections among high school students in Serbia","volume":"29","author":"Filimonovic","year":"2024","journal-title":"Clin Epidemiol Glob Health"},{"key":"ref22","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"869","DOI":"10.1186\/s12879-025-11240-7","article-title":"Risk factors and prevalence of human immunodeficiency virus and syphilis, among prisoners in Duhok city, Kurdistan region, Iraq","volume":"25","author":"Abdulrahman","year":"2025","journal-title":"BMC Infect Dis"},{"key":"ref23","volume-title":"Young People\u2013A Window of hope in the HIV\/AIDS Pandemic","year":"2004"},{"key":"ref24","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"e000968","DOI":"10.1136\/bmjgast-2022-000968","article-title":"Prevalence and trends of transfusion transmissible infections among blood donors in Basra, Iraq","volume":"10","author":"Mohammed","year":"2023","journal-title":"BMJ Open Gastroenterol"},{"key":"ref25","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"245","DOI":"10.5114\/hivar\/156634","article-title":"Sexually transmitted infections and associated factors among Wollo university students, Northeast Ethiopia","volume":"23","author":"Ayalew","year":"2024","journal-title":"HIV AIDS Rev"},{"key":"ref26","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"553","DOI":"10.3855\/jidc.20852","article-title":"Sexually transmitted infection knowledge and risky behaviours among Albanian university students: findings from a cross-sectional study","volume":"19","author":"Merkuri","year":"2025","journal-title":"J Infect Dev Ctries"},{"key":"ref27","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"87","DOI":"10.4103\/phmj.phmj_14_19","article-title":"Knowledge of sexually transmitted infections and practice of risky sexual behaviours among senior secondary school students in Jos north local government area, plateau state, Nigeria","volume":"13","author":"Asuke","year":"2019","journal-title":"Port Harcourt Med J"},{"key":"ref28","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"e5100015","DOI":"10.1590\/0104-07072017005100015","article-title":"Sexually transmitted diseases: knowledge and sexual behavior of adolescents","volume":"26","author":"Genz","year":"2017","journal-title":"Texto Contexto Enferm"}],"container-title":["Frontiers in Public Health"],"original-title":[],"link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/www.frontiersin.org\/articles\/10.3389\/fpubh.2026.1854348\/full","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,27]],"date-time":"2026-07-27T05:39:37Z","timestamp":1785130777000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/www.frontiersin.org\/articles\/10.3389\/fpubh.2026.1854348\/full"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,27]]},"references-count":28,"alternative-id":["10.3389\/fpubh.2026.1854348"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/fpubh.2026.1854348","relation":{},"ISSN":["2296-2565"],"issn-type":[{"value":"2296-2565","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,27]]},"article-number":"1854348"}}