Abstract

Background: The STD problem emerged in the Czech Republic as a result of geopolitical and social and economic changes in the state. Prostitution is concentrated mainly around border areas with Austria and Germany, contributing to the increase in STDs. The Czech-German project “Jana,” based on a project umbrella network of the WHO, was organised.

Objectives: To prevent STDs, including HIV/AIDS, and assessment of STD prevalence in the target group.

Methods: Prostitutes working in night clubs and in the streets and roads of three districts in the West Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic bordering on Germany were studied. Interactions included street work, venereology check up, psychology and sociology counselling, psychological preparation on possible treatment, and continuous and regular contact.

Results: The number of “love clubs” involved in project “Jana” increased from 46 in 1997 to 72 in 2000. Of 561 street girls registered in the project during 1997–2001, there was one HIV positive, every 11th prostitute had syphilis, and one in 93 women had gonorrhoea, whereas incidence of syphilis in the Czech Republic was 10.2/100 000 and that of gonorrhoea 9.5/100 000 inhabitants in 2001, 31 women had Chlamydia trachomatis urinary tract and genital infection, and 25 were HBsAg positives. STD frequency revealed in project participants significantly exceeds numbers of STDs in the other inhabitants of the Czech Republic. The majority of prostitutes were foreigners, mostly Ukrainians and Russians.

Conclusion: The situation in the border areas is alarming. The priority must be to concentrate efforts on prevention of spread of venereal diseases in borders of economically disparate states.