Some people are at higher risk for STIs, including HIV, due to various reasons including the kind of sex they are having and the amount of partners they have.
It is important that people from high risk groups are regularly screened for infections and, on some occasions, may have more in-depth testing depending on the circumstances.
Vaccinations are offered to some people in high risk groups and their partners. These can include vaccination against Hepatitis A, Hepatitis B and Human Papilloma virus (HPV).
People who are at a higher risk of contracting an STI include:
Sexually active gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men are at higher risk of contracting STIs.
Over half of all new HIV positive results occur among MSM and the majority of new syphilis infections are in men who have sex with men.
There are many reasons behind this increased risk, some of which include:
Commercial Sex Workers are people who are paid for sex or sexual services. Clients are people who pay CSWs for sex or sexual services. There is an increased risk of contracting an STI for CSWs and their clients. Some reasons for this include:
Some countries have higher rates of sexually transmitted infections than others. This means there are a higher percentage of people with an infectious STI.
If you have had sex with a partner from a high-risk country, then there is an increased chance of you contracting an infection.
High-risk regions include:
Having multiple sexual partners increases the risk of STIs being passed on quickly.
If your partner is from a higher risk group (see above) then you may be at higher risk of an STI.