Unclear how many STDs are circulating among the Dutch population | Inland

In the past year, a quarter fewer people were tested for a sexually transmitted disease at the GGDs, according to De Vries. Relatively speaking, STDs were found more often among the people tested than in previous years, but that figure actually says nothing about the actual spread. “Access to care was less due to the corona crisis. This means that possibly only people with real complaints have been tested.” On the other hand, people who did have unprotected sex, but did not develop STD symptoms, probably lived with their condition for longer, allowing them to infect more people. These factors cloud the figures, so it is impossible to predict the current spread of STDs, says De Vries.

Chlamydia

According to the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM), chlamydia has been the most common STI for years, especially among young people. 15,979 people who were tested at a Sexual Health Center in 2020 had this infection. Gonorrhea has been diagnosed 6700 times. This STI is most common among men who have sex with men, as is syphilis, which was diagnosed 1,324 times last year.

122 people were told they had HIV in 2020, including 107 men who have sex with men, 5 women and 10 heterosexual men.

–