Sexually transmitted diseases in Lithuania: some epidemiological and social aspects

With political, economical and social changes in Lithuania following the br eak-up of the Soviet Union, the health-care system has changed. The old Sov iet system has been abandoned and it has taken time to re-establish a syste m under the new government. Resources are limited in most aspects of health care, including sexually transmitted infections (STIs). This has, also lim ited the development of education packages on STIs which are so important w hen trying to combat the spread of HIV infection. Notifications of syphilis , in Lithuania, have increased 52 fold between 1990 and 1996 although, sinc e then, the incidence has started to decrease. Syphilis has been more relia bly notified than other STIs and serves as the most reliable indicator of S TI trends.