STDs Could Be Reduced for the Long Term With Extended Lockdown

LOS ANGELES—The worldwide lockdowns and stay-at-home orders in response to the global coronavirus pandemic has in some ways been a boon for various forms of sex — almost any kind that does not involve sexual contact with a casual partner or stranger. But sex parties have thrived online to the point where the popular video conferencing app Zoom has reportedly threatened to shut them down.  At the same time, the sex toy industry has seen a spike in sales, and of course online porn has seen its own surge in traffic.  But according to medical experts cited by the BBC, the shutdowns come with perhaps the most important sexual benefit of all — the possibility to drastically reduce the spread of sexually transmitted diseases. “Even at the start of the HIV epidemic, I don't think you had such a clean-cut period where collectively — as a population — people stopped having sex with new partners,” said Justin Harbottle, of SH:24 — a sexual health service that distributes contraceptives, STD tests and similar products online — told the network. "If people can keep testing going and everyone gets tested while on this break, it's a once-in-a-lifetime event really.” "If we could test and treat everybody for their infections now, that would be a game-changer going forward as people slowly move towards normality," added Dr. John McSorley, president of the British Association for Sexual Health and HIV . In Britain, however, more than half of the country’s sexual health services have shut down due to the pandemic. Nonetheless, Dr. Gary Whitlock of  London's Dean Street clinic — responsible for one of every four HIV diagnoses of gay men in Britain — told the BBC that  thanks to the social distancing and self-isolation measures, the pandemic presents “a once-in-a-generation opportunity for us to get people at high risk of HIV to test.” HIV is most infectious in the early stages following contraction, but any newly infected patients tested during the lockdown will have been unlikely to have passed the virus on to others. The shutdowns offer a chance to catch the infections early, and immediately begin treatment to bring the levels of HIV down to a point where it becomes diffucult to transmit.  A surge in syphilis infections in Britain earlier this year could also be brought under control, according to McSorley. "Earlier this year, syphilis was back at levels we haven't seen since World War Two. I would like this to be an opportunity to make sure that is no longer the case," he told the BBC. Photo By Der Neuemann / Pixabay