Oropharyngeal gonorrhoea among heterosexual men and women at a sexual health centre in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, 2023: reservoir for transmission?

Background: Sexual health centres (SHCs) in the Netherlands report a surge in gonorrhoea, especially among young women (notably oropharyngeal) and men who have sex with women (MSW) since the second half of 2022. MSW are not routinely oropharyngeal tested, and women only when reporting oral sex. This cross-sectional study aimed to assess oropharyngeal gonorrhoea in MSW and women, and potential underdiagnosis.

The roles of the general practitioner and sexual health centre in HIV testing: comparative insights and impact on HIV incidence rates in the Rotterdam area, the Netherlands - a cross-sectional population-based study.

Background: Access to HIV testing is crucial for detection, linkage to treatment, and prevention. In less urbanised areas, reliance on general practitioners (GPs) for HIV testing is probable, as sexual health centres (SHC) are mostly located within urbanised areas. Limited insight into individuals undergoing HIV testing stems from sparse standard registration of demographics at GPs.

Testing for sexually transmitted infection: who and where? A data linkage study using population and provider data in the Rotterdam area, the Netherlands.

Background: In the Netherlands, insight into sexually transmitted infection (STI) testing and characteristics of those tested by general practitioners (GPs) and sexual health centres (SHC) is limited. This is partly due to lacking registration of socio-demographics at GPs. We aimed to fill this gap by linking different registers.

Community-based HIV testing through a general health check event in a high HIV-prevalent multicultural area in Rotterdam, The Netherlands: a pilot study on feasibility and acceptance.

Background: HIV testing is crucial for finding the remaining cases in a declining HIV epidemic in The Netherlands; providing HIV testing in non-traditional settings may be warranted. We conducted a pilot study to determine the feasibility and acceptability of a community-based HIV testing (CBHT) approach with general health checks to improve HIV test uptake.

Methods: CBHT's main conditions were low-threshold, free-of-charge, general health check, and HIV education.

Area-based comparison of risk factors and testing rates to improve sexual health care access: cross-sectional population-based study in a Dutch multicultural area.

Objectives: Areas with high sexually transmitted infection (STI) testing rates may not require additional strategies to improve testing. However, it may be necessary to intervene in areas with elevated STI risk, but with low STI testing rates. We aimed to compare STI-related risk profiles and STI testing rates by geographical area to determine areas for improvement of sexual healthcare access.

Distance as explanatory factor for sexual health centre utilization: an urban population-based study in the Netherlands.

Background: The central sexual health centre (SHC) in the greater Rotterdam area in the Netherlands helps finding people unaware of their STI/HIV status. We aimed to determine a possible association between SHC utilization and travel distance in this urban and infrastructure-rich area. Insight in area-specific utilization helps adjust outreach policies to enhance STI testing.

Who is providing HIV diagnostic testing? Comparing HIV testing by general practitioners and sexual health centres in five regions in the Netherlands, 2011-2018.

Objectives: General practitioners (GPs) and sexual health centres (SHCs) are the main providers of HIV testing and diagnose two-thirds of HIV infections in the Netherlands. We compared regional HIV testing and positivity by GPs versus SHCs to gain insight into strategies to improve HIV testing, to enable timely detection of HIV infections.

Methods: Laboratory data (2011-2018) on HIV testing by GPs and SHCs in five Dutch regions with varying levels of urbanisation were evaluated.

[Sex under the age of 25 in 2017: the sexual health of young people in the Netherlands].

Objective: To gain insight in the sexual health of young people aged 12 to 25 in the Netherlands. Municipal health services and other stakeholders in the area of the promotion of sexual health were involved in various phases of this study, the results of which can be applied better to maintaining or improving the sexual health of young people.

Design: Large-scale representative study with a cross-sectional design which was previously conducted in 2005 and 2012.

Detection of Incident Anal High-Risk Human Papillomavirus DNA in Men Who Have Sex With Men: Incidence or Reactivation?

Background: We aimed to assess whether sexual exposure may explain all incident anal human papillomavirus (HPV) detections among men who have sex with men (MSM).

Methods: A longitudinal study among MSM was conducted between 2010 and 2013 with visits every 6 months and up to 24 months of follow-up. Risk-factor questionnaires, blood samples, and anal and penile self-swabs were collected at each visit.

The need to scale up HIV indicator condition-guided testing for early case-finding: a case-control study in primary care.

Background: European guidelines recommend offering an HIV test to individuals who display HIV indicator conditions (ICs). We aimed to investigate the incidence of ICs in primary care reported in medical records prior to HIV diagnosis.

Methods: We did a cross-sectional search in an electronic general practice database using a matched case-control design to identify which predefined ICs registered by Dutch GPs were most associated with an HIV-positive status prior to the time of diagnosis.