In France, the number of screenings for three bacterial STIs continues to increase.
- The number of screenings for the three bacterial STIs continued to increase in 2022, a dynamic observed for several years.
- In 2022, 2.6 million people will have benefited at least once from reimbursed screening for Chlamydia trachomatis infection, 3 million from screening for gonococcal infection and 3.1 million from screening for syphilis.
- HIV screening activity reached a higher level than in 2019 with 6.5 million serologies carried out by medical biology laboratories.
On the occasion of World AIDS Day which will take place this Friday, Public health France publishes the surveillance indicators for HIV and bacterial sexually transmitted infections (STIs) in France updated for the year 2022.
“While the number of HIV diagnoses is down compared to 2019, it continues to increase for other STIs”summarize the authors of the survey in the introduction.
What are the three STIs for which screening continues to increase?
The number of screenings for the three bacterial STIs thus continued to increase in 2022, a dynamic observed for several years (with the exception of a one-off drop in 2020). In 2022, 2.6 million people benefited at least once from reimbursed screening for Chlamydia trachomatis infection, 3 million from screening for gonococcal infection and 3.1 million from screening for syphilis.
Chlamydia trachomatis infection is now diagnosed more often in men than in women. Cases of gonorrhea and syphilis are more frequently diagnosed in men, with men who have sex with men (MSM) representing the majority of cases.
IST: “HIV testing activity reached a higher level than in 2019”
“HIV screening activity reached a higher level than in 2019 with 6.5 million serologies carried out by medical biology laboratories”, the report also states. “The number of people who discovered their HIV status in 2022 was estimated between 4,200 and 5,700, numbers lower than those in 2019, which, in a context of an increase in the volume of screening, is encouraging in terms of the dynamics of the epidemic”, estimates Public Health France.
“The evolution is nevertheless contrasted depending on the populations”, adds the health authority. Thus, the number of discoveries of HIV status continues to decrease among MSM born in France, but the number of discoveries continues to increase among MSM born abroad.
STI: “the earlier the diagnosis, the more appropriate the treatment”
“On this World HIV Day, it is important to remember that the earlier sexually transmitted infections are detected, the earlier the diagnosis and the more appropriate treatment. This also helps limit the circulation of these infections. “screening is on the rise again but we still need to mobilize collectively. Many means are available to protect ourselves and others, including PrEP, which is still insufficiently used by eligible people.” write the public health experts at the end of their work.
“Combined prevention must be known and accessible to all. This is the objective of the campaign that we are currently broadcasting. The fight against HIV and other STIs is a public health issue, everyone can act to stop the transmission of these infections”, they conclude.
