{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,25]],"date-time":"2026-09-25T00:17:01Z","timestamp":1790295421692,"version":"4.1.0"},"reference-count":6,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"15","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2022,8,5]],"date-time":"2022-08-05T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1659657600000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["IJERPH"],"abstract":"<jats:p>The social distancing measures introduced due to the COVID-19 pandemic may have affected the sexual behavior of the population. We collected data retrospectively from the National STD Center of Hungary. The overall patient influx data of the STD Center and the number of patients diagnosed with syphilis, chlamydia, and gonorrhea infections were assessed in the three-month period of 2020 when the strict governmental lockdown was introduced in Hungary. Data were compared to the pre- and post-lockdown quarters of 2020 and matched to the respective quarters of 2018 and 2019. The number of patients diagnosed with syphilis and chlamydia infections in 2020 during the lockdown decreased compared to 2018 and 2019, while the number of gonorrhea cases increased. The lower number of STI screenings resulted in a significant decrease in asymptomatic syphilis and chlamydia case numbers. However, the growing number of gonorrhea cases in 2020 during lockdown highlights that sexual behavior remained unchanged regardless of restrictions. Therefore, gonorrhea may be considered as an indicator of STI incidences during the pandemic.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/ijerph19159627","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2022,8,7]],"date-time":"2022-08-07T22:51:46Z","timestamp":1659912706000},"page":"9627","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":18,"title":["STIs during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Hungary: Gonorrhea as a Potential Indicator of Sexual Behavior"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"19","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-1861-1008","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Kende","family":"L\u0151rincz","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Dermatology, Venereology and Dermatooncology, Faculty of Medicine, Semmelweis University, 1085 Budapest, Hungary"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Fanni Ad\u00e9l","family":"Meznerics","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Dermatology, Venereology and Dermatooncology, Faculty of Medicine, Semmelweis University, 1085 Budapest, Hungary"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Antal","family":"Jobb\u00e1gy","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Dermatology, Venereology and Dermatooncology, Faculty of Medicine, Semmelweis University, 1085 Budapest, Hungary"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-9947-1755","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Norbert","family":"Kiss","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Dermatology, Venereology and Dermatooncology, Faculty of Medicine, Semmelweis University, 1085 Budapest, Hungary"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"M\u00e1ria","family":"Madar\u00e1sz","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Dermatology, Venereology and Dermatooncology, Faculty of Medicine, Semmelweis University, 1085 Budapest, Hungary"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Laura","family":"Belvon","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Dermatology, Venereology and Dermatooncology, Faculty of Medicine, Semmelweis University, 1085 Budapest, Hungary"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"B\u00e9la","family":"T\u00f3th","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Dermatology, Venereology and Dermatooncology, Faculty of Medicine, Semmelweis University, 1085 Budapest, Hungary"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"B\u00e9la","family":"Tam\u00e1si","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Dermatology, Venereology and Dermatooncology, Faculty of Medicine, Semmelweis University, 1085 Budapest, Hungary"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Norbert Mikl\u00f3s","family":"Wikonk\u00e1l","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Dermatology, Venereology and Dermatooncology, Faculty of Medicine, Semmelweis University, 1085 Budapest, Hungary"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"M\u00e1rta","family":"Marschalk\u00f3","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Dermatology, Venereology and Dermatooncology, Faculty of Medicine, Semmelweis University, 1085 Budapest, Hungary"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Andr\u00e1s","family":"B\u00e1nv\u00f6lgyi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Dermatology, Venereology and Dermatooncology, Faculty of Medicine, Semmelweis University, 1085 Budapest, Hungary"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2022,8,5]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1063","DOI":"10.1007\/s11357-020-00226-9","article-title":"Novel coronavirus epidemic in the Hungarian population, a cross-sectional nationwide survey to support the exit policy in Hungary","volume":"42","author":"Merkely","year":"2020","journal-title":"Geroscience"},{"key":"ref_2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"70","DOI":"10.1136\/sextrans-2021-054965","article-title":"Impact of COVID-19 pandemic on STIs in Greece","volume":"98","author":"Apalla","year":"2022","journal-title":"Sex. Transm. Infect."},{"key":"ref_3","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"101","DOI":"10.1136\/sextrans-2020-054805","article-title":"Reporting of sexually transmitted infections during the COVID-19 pandemic","volume":"97","author":"Crane","year":"2021","journal-title":"Sex. Transm. Infect."},{"key":"ref_4","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"622","DOI":"10.1136\/sextrans-2020-054943","article-title":"Gonorrhoea during COVID-19 in London, UK","volume":"97","author":"Whitlock","year":"2021","journal-title":"Sex. Transm. Infect."},{"key":"ref_5","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"30455","DOI":"10.2807\/1560-7917.ES.2017.22.5.30455","article-title":"Emergence of the lymphogranuloma venereum L2c genovariant, Hungary 2012 to 2016","volume":"22","author":"Petrovay","year":"2017","journal-title":"EuroSurveillance"},{"key":"ref_6","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Mercer, C.H., Clifton, S., Riddell, J., Tanton, C., Freeman, L., Copas, A.J., Dema, E., P\u00e9rez, R.B., Gibbs, J., and Macdowall, W. (2021). Impacts of COVID-19 on sexual behaviour in Britain: Findings from a large, quasi-representative survey (Natsal-COVID). Sex. Transm. Infect.","DOI":"10.2139\/ssrn.3862706"}],"container-title":["International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/1660-4601\/19\/15\/9627\/pdf","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,11]],"date-time":"2025-10-11T00:04:27Z","timestamp":1760141067000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/1660-4601\/19\/15\/9627"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2022,8,5]]},"references-count":6,"journal-issue":{"issue":"15","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2022,8]]}},"alternative-id":["ijerph19159627"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/ijerph19159627","relation":{},"ISSN":["1660-4601"],"issn-type":[{"value":"1660-4601","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2022,8,5]]}}}