1. Introduction
Sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) refer to infections transmitted through sexual acts 1. Sexually transmitted diseases are common problems worldwide and may involve skin-to-skin contact to infect others 2. Common sexual diseases include chlamydia, syphilis, gonococcal infection, chancroid, lymphogranuloma venereum, granuloma inguinale, and herpes. Moreover, some sexual diseases that may chronically impact similar viral infections can account for nearly all sexual behavior-related deaths3. STDs are among the essential ten causes of diseases in adult males and females in developing countries 4.
Various models can examine heterogeneity in sexual behavior and calculate how different variations impact epidemiologic patterns such as heterogeneity in sex acts and having many sex partners5,6.
Prevention of STDs includes assessing behavioral risk (e.g., risky sexual behavior) related to heterogeneity 1. Individual health codes that give information about sexual diseases can be used to increase awareness and reduce the spread of disease. Recently, the health-code-based triage system showed high effectiveness in triaging patients with epidemiological history in China7. Especially, the onset of COVID-19 has raised a substantial increase in the use of health tracking technologies8 supported by the health applications of the government. Based on one’s health data, a code representing personal health conditions is created by verifying what the resident reports9. In addition, health codes were used for various health tracking in cardiac 10 and pregnancy11.
Collectively, changing the selection of sexual partners and avoiding certain sexual practices may reduce the risk of infection12. Considering it, sexual health code applications supported by government health applications can help improve awareness and reduce STDs’ prevalence.
The functionality and design of the sexual health code are essential determinants of the application’s success. Firstly, individuals or both partners should voluntarily select whether they want to use it or not. Moreover, the application can include vaccination information to foster vaccination related to sexual health and help to calculate potential future risks. It should be supported by other government health applications to allow using official sexual test results to be processed. If the previous partner was detected positive, individuals should go to the hospital to be tested. If they were not appropriately tested, the application might have a notification that can only be removed after the sexual examination that shows they do not have the contagious sexual disease. Furthermore, the application should include the period of intercourse.
Privacy issues and how to store health data are some of the main concerns of the health code. National legislatures should embrace sufficient ethical principles to ensure that health tracking policies will be strictly prescribed by law 13. Application-makers should pay maximum attention to issues of confidentiality and anonymity. Their name or national identity numbers should not be stored by the application to avoid potential stigma. Their previous sexual diseases can be removed if tested negative, and they should be able to delete the application later.
There is a possibility that couples are not interested in registering for the sexual health application. Furthermore, it may lead people to think that if there is no sexual notification, they are safe to have intercourse. Thus, necessary precautions should be taken to minimize the risks associated with using the application.
In the long term, sexual health applications may increase awareness of sexual diseases, thereby reducing the prevalence of sexual disorders. However, there are still limitations, such as intergenerational differences in mobile phones, as some prefer not to use mobile applications 14. Furthermore, ethical guidelines and strict health surveillance policies for health tracking apps are necessary to protect the citizens.