A total of 10.3 million Brazilians are suffering or have suffered from some kind of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) at some point in their lives, according to a study released Tuesday by the Health Ministry.
Among the infected, 6.6 million are men and 3.7 million are women, the study said.
However, 18 percent of the men and 11.4 percent of the women who show STD symptoms do not seek any sort of treatment, according to the study. The figures are worrying because STDs can increase the risk of HIV infection.
Besides, 25 percent of the men who seek some kind of treatment rely on self-medication instead of going to the doctor. Among women who seek treatment, 99 percent go to the doctor.
"I am already becoming annoying for saying that men do not take care of themselves, but the numbers prove it," said Health Minister Jose Gomes Temporao. "Men do not seek medical help as they should."
The minister admitted, though, that even those Brazilians who do seek medical help are often not being correctly treated -- only 30 percent of the men and 31.7 percent of the women who sought medical help were told to take the HIV test.
The study showed that the Brazilians who had more than 10 sexual partners were 65 percent more likely to have an STD, and that men have a 31.2 percent higher chance of being infected with STDs than women.
Brazil's northern region has the highest STD infection rate of 24.6 percent among men, while in other four regions, the rate is below 20 percent.
Additionally, low-educated men and dark-skinned men are more likely to be infected with STDs, the study showed.
In order to reduce the high rate of STDs in the country, the Health Ministry decided to launch a nationwide campaign to inform the public on the dangers of STDs.
The campaign, aimed mostly at men, will also stress the importance of informing their partners about STDs, in a bid to reduce infection possibilities.
"We are talking about the diseases which, in most cases, are curable, but are still very much present in the society," Temporao said.