Sexually transmitted infections including HIV, in the Netherlands in 2016

Abstract

In 2016, the number of people who were tested at a Dutch STI clinic for a sexually transmitted infection (STI) increased, after a decrease in 2015. The percentage of people diagnosed with an STI has also increased, to 18.4 percent in 2016. It is estimated that the number of STI consultations at the general practitioner has decreased slightly. Chlamydia remains the most common STI in heterosexuals. Gonorrhoea is more common than chlamydia in men who have sex with men (MSM). STI clinics offer high-risk groups the opportunity for free STI testing. In 2016, a total of 143,139 consultations were registered at the STI clinics, an increase of 5 percent compared to 2015. The percentage of detected STIs varied per municipal health centre (GGD), ranging from 12.8 to 20.9 percent. Most STIs were detected in people infected with HIV, followed by people who had been notified for an STI. Chlamydia In 2016, 14.5 percent of STI clinic attendees were infected with chlamydia (20,698 diagnoses; an increase of 11 percent compared to the previous year). This increase can be explained in part because, since 2015, STI clinics more strictly prioritise people with a high risk of STI. The biggest increase was seen in heterosexual men (from 16.1 in 2015 to 18.0 percent in 2016). In women, the percentage of chlamydia diagnoses increased from 14.2 to 15.4. In MSM, the percentage has been stable around 10 percent for years. Gonorrhoea The number of gonorrhoea diagnoses at the STI clinics has risen in the past year with 13 percent, to 6,092 infections. The percentage of positive tests in heterosexual men (1.7 percent) and women (1.4 percent) remained stable, compared to previous years. In MSM, the percentage has increased from 10.7 percent in 2015 to 11.3 percent in 2016. The STI clinics have not yet found cases of gonorrhoea resistant to the first option antibiotic, Ceftriaxone. The number of gonorrhoea infections diagnosed by general practitioners in 2015 saw a slight decline among women, but an increase among men of 20 percent compared to 2014. Syphilis In 2016, the number of syphilis diagnoses increased by 30 percent compared to 2015, totalling 1,223 infections. This increase is mainly caused by an increase in the number of diagnoses in MSM, both those with and without HIV. Out of all syphilis infections, 95 percent was diagnosed in MSM. The percentage of positive diagnoses in heterosexual men and women remains very low; 0.19 and 0.07 percent of all consultations that tested for syphilis, respectively. HIV In 2016, 285 new HIV diagnoses were detected at the STI clinics, approximately the same number as in 2015 (288); 93 percent was detected in MSM. The percentage of HIV diagnoses in MSM decreased, from 2.8 percent in 2007 to 0.8 percent in 2016. The number of HIV patients that had their 'first care' encounter at a Dutch HIV treatment centre decreased again, from 1,033 cases in 2015 to 976 in 2016. Out of these people, 666 received their diagnosis in 2016