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While the 2023 social security financing law provides for free, non-prescription screening for sexually transmitted infections for those under 26, the measure is long overdue. The National Syndicate of Biologist Doctors (SNMB) calls for the entry into force of the system as soon as possible.
It is a boost that biologists are asking for on April 18 in a press release. While the 2023 Social Security Funding Act (LFSS) promised free screening for sexually transmitted infections without a prescription for those under 26, the decree implementing this measure has still not been adopted. The SNMB recalls that this screening remains essential in order to stem the growth of STIs such as Chlamydia or gonococcus.
An emergency situation in the face of STIs advancing quietly
In its press release, the union insists on the need for screening to be more accessible to all young adults in 2023:
- Chlamydia or gonococcus are on the rise and concern both men and women: in 2021, it is estimated that 96,900 new Chlamydia STIs and 21,750 gonococcus were diagnosed in outpatient medicine, i.e. a doubling compared to 2014 ;
- The mental burden of this screening rests essentially on women who represent 70% of screenings carried out for Chlamydia and 75% for gonococcus. It is therefore important that screening becomes more democratic for everyone;
- An unrecognized and asymptomatic infection Chlamydia can lead to infertility in women as well as ectopic pregnancies. The Haute Autorité de Santé also recommends systematic screening for women aged 15 to 25. As for gonococcus, the risk associated with this infection is to develop bartholinitis or salpingitis that can lead to infertility or ectopic pregnancy.
Propose concrete measures to increase screening
Faced with this observation, the union intends to recall the need for the promised screening:
“Offering free screenings for those under 26 will increase the number of people taking the initiative to get tested. It is a public health measure that we believe is essential in the face of the continuous increase in cases of contamination. It is urgent that the decree to set up this device be adopted” explains Dr. Jean-Claude Azoulay, President of the SNMB.
Finally, the SNMB proposes that in the absence of a general practitioner, the medical biologist can prescribe treatment directly to patients who test positive for these STIs. “This measure could facilitate the care pathway for our patients and increase the chances that they will get treatment quickly and therefore avoid complications”.