Edited by: Stefan Baral, Benjamin Mason Meier and Joseph Tucker
At present, there are a number of highly efficacious approaches to the prevention of, and response to, sexually transmitted infections, including decentralized testing, novel prevention approaches, harm reduction, participation of affected populations, and expanded treatment. However, human rights infringements may limit the provision and uptake of these interventions for those at highest risk, further concentrating the burden of these infections among marginalized populations. Taken together, there remains a lot to be learned about the importance of structural determinants of sexually transmitted infections, including both the influence of human rights infringements and the optimal strategies to overcome them as a basis for disease prevention.
This collaboration between BMC International Health and Human Rights and BMC Infectious Diseases focuses on highlighting novel studies characterizing human rights infringements as structural determinants of infectious diseases, including sexually transmitted infections.