Far fewer people had an STI test in the first half of this year than in previous years. You guessed it: corona is also the culprit here. According to the Sexual Health Centers (CSGs), far fewer people were tested for STIs during the intelligent lockdown in the first wave. April took the cake: eighty percent less than in January and February.
That is not surprising in itself. Due to the corona outbreak, fewer people were able to make use of sexual health care at the GGDs. During the intelligent lockdown from March 13 to May 31, consultation hours were limited to essential care.
Only treat with serious complaints
For example, only people with (serious) STD complaints could go to a clinic. People with syphilis, HIV, hepatitis C and gonorrhea complaints could have themselves tested. Clients who had experienced sexual violence were also allowed to continue to report.
Since the summer, STD care has been scaled up again and has now returned to the level of before corona. In September most centers had about eighty percent of the number of visitors from before the lockdown.
Also read: Number of people with an STI increased last year, chlamydia remains ‘popular’
More reports in men
One group has not been idle during the lockdown. The number of men having sex with men and reporting during the lockdown was significantly higher than among women and heterosexual men.
A total of 64,118 consultations were registered between January 1 and August 31, 2020. Of these, 10,940 in heterosexual men, 26,998 in homosexual men, 25,448 in women, and 434 in transgender persons. Sexual contact was unknown in 298 people.
Higher percentage of positive tests
Because fewer people were tested during the lockdown, fewer STIs were diagnosed during that period. However, the percentage of positive results was higher during the first lockdown compared to the period before the lockdown. Between January and August 2020, that percentage was 18 percent for women and over 22 percent for men. This means that more than 1 in 6 women and more than 1 in 5 men who had themselves tested actually had an STI among their members.
More than 9,400 people have been told they have contracted chlamydia. Women and gay men in particular contracted the STI. Gonorrhea was diagnosed in 3,998 CSG visitors, here too the majority (over 80 percent) of homosexual men were diagnosed with the infection.
The STI syphilis was found in 798 people in the first six months of this year. That is comparable to figures from before the lockdown. 766 of them are gay men. Since 2011, syphilis among homosexuals has been on a slow rise. The syphilis ‘find rate’ remains low among heterosexuals.
Which STI does not show a difference is with HIV. During the first lockdown, 72 new HIV infections were diagnosed. Of which 89 percent (64) are gay men. Unlike syphilis, the HIV detection rate has fallen sharply in recent years. in 2011 the find rate was 2.0 percent, by 2020 it has already fallen to 0.3 percent.
Research
The question is what effect the lockdown has had on the spread of STIs. According to the CSGs, the corona crisis has had both positive and negative effects on its spread. On the one hand, there was less chance of spreading because people had fewer sexual contacts. On the other hand, fewer people have had themselves tested or treated for STIs, which increases the chance of spreading.
Several studies have been started to see how the corona measures had an impact on the spread of STIs.
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