PrEP is not the driving force behind rising STI rates, says new study

published on January 22, 2021 by David Hudson, in QUEERTY

Rates of chlamydia, gonorrhea, and syphilis among gay men have shot up in recent years. One of the reasons put forward for this is more men are taking PrEP, having sex without condoms, and therefore putting themselves at greater risk of acquiring other sexually-transmitted infections (STIs).

A new study from the University of New South Wales in Australia suggests this may not be the case, or that such a scenario has been exaggerated.

The study tracked 2,400 men who have sex with other men and collected data from 54 sexual health clinics. The men were tracked for a period before starting PrEP, and then whilst taking PrEP.

It found the 50% of the men tested positive for an STI in the year before commencing PrEP, while 52% of the men tested positive for an STI in the year after taking PrEP. That 2% difference is not statistically significant enough to point to PrEP being the cause of the increase, which could also be explained by underlying trends in STI rates.

The authors of the study point to the fact STI rates have been increasing in countries such as Australia and the US before PrEP became available. Therefore, other factors are at play. For example, potentially the increased use of hookup apps or financial cuts to preventative health programs.

View the full article >>

Tags:

Treatment as Prevention®

PrEP

BC Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS

Search form

PrEP is not the driving force behind rising STI rates, says new study

Search form