To warn someone anonymously that you may have infected them with a sexually transmitted infection: the new health tool

BarcelonaIn Catalonia and Europe, sexually transmitted infections (STIs) are a public health problem. Since 2010, detected cases have increased by an average of 32.4% annually. Furthermore, in the last decade, at least 405 sexually transmitted infections have been detected in children under 14 years of age in the country, which is why Catalonia has advanced the surveillance of sexual infections to 12 years. However, one of the hurdles to detection is the embarrassment of going to a center to get tested or, in case of a positive sexual infection, informing one's partner or partners so they also get tested.

Now, the ITSready project can be useful for ensuring that taboo does not lead to underdetection. The initiative presented this Thursday by the Department of Health is aimed at young people aged 16 to 25 from all over Catalonia and consists of three tools: a self-testing kit, an application to report possible exposure to an STI, and a chatbot to get information about sexual infections.

The first is Testa't Jove, an application that allows you to request a free self-sampling kit to detect HIV, chlamydia, and gonorrhea from home. Those who request it receive the kit at home or at a collection point, then send the samples to the reference laboratory and can check the results confidentially through the platform.

In the event that someone knows they are positive for an STI, the project also includes Notifica, a communication channel that allows anonymous notification to sexual partners of possible exposure to an STI. The channel can promote early diagnosis and contribute to interrupting transmission chains, as it overcomes the barrier of fear or embarrassment of explaining the situation to an acquaintance. Finally, ITSready also has a chatbot to find reliable information on sexuality, STIs, and prevention, using language adapted to young people's slang.

1,500 'kits'

It is expected that, for the moment, the project will distribute 1,500 kits of a sample and that the data serve to generate scientific evidence on the viability, acceptability and impact of these interventions in the prevention and early diagnosis of STIs and HIV among the young population in Catalonia.

The project is funded by La Marató de 3Cat and is jointly led by the Centre for Epidemiological Studies on STIs and AIDS in Catalonia (CEEISCAT), a group that is part of the Germans Trias i Pujol Research Institute (IGTP) and is linked to the Public Health Secretariat of the Department of Health; the Foundation for the Fight against Infections; the Barcelona Public Health Agency (ASPB); and the Youth Centre for Sexualities Care (CJAS).