The number of appointments at the Sexual Health Centres in the Netherlands that were related to sexually transmitted infections (STIs) dropped by 8% in the first half of 2024, compared to the same period in the previous year. The decrease was most significant among women and heterosexual men. These findings are from the new Sexual Health Thermometer provided by RIVM.
There were also fewer appointments among men who have sex with men. This decrease was less significant than the decrease among women and heterosexual men.
Cause of the decrease
It is unclear what caused the decrease in the number of STI-related appointments. The downward trend may in part be due to the Sexual Health Centres facing increased costs per appointment. As a result, the centres cannot schedule as many appointments for the funding that they receive annually.
Most of the appointments are for people who have an elevated risk of STIs. Examples include people receiving PrEP care, people who have many different sexual contacts, or men who have sex with men. This means that there is sometimes less room for other target groups served by the Sexual Health Centres. This could explain the more significant decrease among women and heterosexual men.
Still many cases of gonorrhoea
The percentage of appointments in which one or more STIs were found is referred to as the detection rate. The detection rate for gonorrhoea in the first half of 2024 was comparable to the detection rate in the first half of 2023. Even so, this percentage is still much higher than in previous years. In the period from 2015 to 2021, the detection rate was consistently around 2% among women and heterosexual men. In the first half of 2024, it was 4.1% among women and 3.5% among heterosexual men.
New HIV diagnoses
In the first half of 2024, the Sexual Health Centres diagnosed 94 new cases of HIV. This is more than in the first half of 2023, when there were 68 HIV diagnoses. The increase is primarily seen in the major cities. Municipal Public Health Services (GGDs) have been making an effort to provide information about STIs and the importance of testing and treatment in places frequented by groups that are at higher risk, and these efforts seem to be working.
About the Sexual Health Thermometer
The Sexual Health Thermometer is a half-yearly report in which RIVM shares key figures and trends relating to STIs and sexual health in the Netherlands. These figures come from the Sexual Health Centres. The data enables RIVM to identify increases in STIs and respond accordingly.