The following are published on the website:

• updated 2018 data on new HIV-positive cases and AIDS diagnoses, as well as trends at the regional level

• updated 2018 data on bacterial sexually transmitted infections (STIs)

• an issue of the BEH dedicated to screening for HIV and other STIs

These publications serve as a reminder of the importance of intensifying HIV and other STI testing to reduce incidence and diagnosis rates among both the general population and the most at-risk groups.

Data to guide HIV testing policies and actions

The 2018 data highlight that despite the increasing number of HIV serology tests conducted since 2013, there remains significant room for improvement in terms of screening, particularly among certain specific populations.

Santé publique France is supporting HIV and STI testing week in the regions

This year, the Ministry of Solidarity and Health has asked each Regional Health Agency to organize a week of testing for HIV, other STIs, and viral hepatitis in its region.

On this occasion, new data published by Santé publique France on newly diagnosed HIV-positive cases and AIDS diagnoses, and their trends, as well as on bacterial STIs (syphilis, Chlamydia trachomatis infections, and gonococcal infections) are presented at the regional level.
The regions most affected by new HIV diagnoses are, as in previous years, the French departments in the Americas and, in metropolitan France, the Île-de-France region. These regions are also the most affected by bacterial STIs.

To support regional testing initiatives, Santé publique France is launching a campaign on November 25, 2019, to encourage testing for HIV and STIs. The goal of this campaign is to increase testing rates and reduce the time between infection and diagnosis across all population groups.

An issue of the BEH entirely devoted to HIV and other STI testing

This issue presents findings from surveillance systems and behavioral surveys, which provide evidence to guide testing policies and prevention strategies.

Key takeaways:

• Despite a sharp increase in the number of tests performed in France, nearly one-third of MSM and half of heterosexuals diagnosed with HIV in 2018 had never been tested before.

• The proportion of people who had never been tested before their HIV diagnosis varies by at-risk population and has remained stable since 2013.

• A gap persists between opinions in favor of widespread testing and actual HIV testing practices in the general population.

• Free testing centers (CeGIDD) play a major role in serving populations at particularly high risk.

• Self-collection for HIV and other STI testing is well accepted by MSM and allows for more frequent testing.

In her editorial, Valérie Delpech (Public Health England, London, United Kingdom) advocates for combined prevention. The published data should be viewed as a call for greater and broader commitment, with the aim of better understanding the needs of the diverse communities most affected by HIV; and as a call from the authors for greater awareness among healthcare professionals to offer testing for HIV and other STIs.