The Better2Know Blog

Chlamydia is the most common sexually transmitted infection (STI) in the UK. Many people do not display symptoms of chlamydia when infected during the early stages, meaning they continue with their sexual activity, unknowingly spreading the infection even further.

World Ovarian Cancer Day falls on 8 May 2022 and the message from the World Ovarian Cancer Coalition is “no woman left behind”. It aims to increase awareness and “globally raise our voices in solidarity in the fight against ovarian cancer”.

The average age of the UK population is increasing, and so is the number of people with long term health issues.  As our health system becomes better at treating the health conditions that arise, people are living for longer, putting additional burdens on the system.

Finding love is sometimes like looking for a needle in a haystack, while maintaining it can be even harder. Love and sex are inextricably intertwined in a convoluted and sometimes mysterious way. The word “love” has so many different connotations that it is hard to define. Sex, in all its forms, is a little more exacting and dating is a minefield.

Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs) have been around for a long time. According to Wikipedia, historical documentation of STIs dates back to at least the Ebers Papyrus around 1550 BC and the Old Testament. The Papyrus is a 110-page Egyptian scroll about herbal knowledge kept in the library at the University of Leipzig in Germany.

April 2022 is Bowel Cancer awareness month and Bowel Cancer UK is campaigning for early diagnoses and treatment. Every 15 minutes a person is diagnosed with bowel cancer in the UK which is approximately 43,000 people each year. This year Bowel Cancer UK´s message is, “together we can raise more awareness and support for people affected by the disease. Together we are strong. Together we can save more lives”.

As the world’s leading private STI testing company, Better2Know understands the need to keep up to date with the latest Sexually Transmitted Infection (STI) statistics across the world and here in the UK. Though it is important to build an international and national picture through latest data, it is also key to look at more localised information and take notice of what is being found in local studies.

In a study led by the University of Oxford published this year, a new HIV variant has been found with higher virulence and more detrimental health effects. According to Unaids.org, in 2020, 1.5 million people globally were newly infected with HIV, 37.7 million were living with HIV and 680,000 people died of AIDS-related illnesses.

Hundreds of thousands of fatalities are happening worldwide due to antibiotic resistance to previously treatable infections. The bacteria that cause these infections have become resistant to treatment. Recent developments in the UK and worldwide show how significant this threat is to humanity.

Better2Know tests for a wide range of the most common sexually transmitted infections (STIs), however there are some infections that are not commonly associated with being an STI but can still be transmittable by sexual contact. 

The theme for this year´s International Women´s Day on 8 March 2022 is centred around gender equality. It acknowledges that women and girls are at the forefront of effecting change and that the future lies in empowering women in many ways.

A report published by Wiley online library on 30 January 2022 examines the impact that the Covid-19 pandemic has had on HIV testing in Brighton and Hove. The report used data on HIV tests performed in Brighton and Hove from January 2016 to June 2021 to compare the monthly number of tests and diagnoses before and during the pandemic across different services.

According to the World Health Organization more than 1 million sexually transmitted infections (STIs) are acquired every day globally, the majority of which are asymptomatic. Each year there are an estimated 374 million new infections with 1 of 4 STIs: chlamydia, gonorrhoea, syphilis and trichomoniasis. All these infections are currently curable.

There has been a reduction in the amount of data collected by European countries on HIV due to COVID-19. The European AIDS Conference was held in October last year and Teymur Noori, HIV and migrant health expert at the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), commented that, “one of the most severe impacts of the pandemic on HIV was that it had reduced the capability of most European countries to document their own HIV epidemic”.  Resources were redirected from the surveillance and monitoring of HIV to COVID.

Here is an overview of the key pre-travel testing requirements for UK citizens travelling to popular destinations as of 17 March, 2022. You should always stay in contact with your travel provider when travelling abroad from the UK.

World Cancer Day will be marked on 4 February 2022. Cancer is a global challenge for us all. In 2018, 18 million people worldwide were diagnosed with cancer. Presently, due to research advances, 1 in 2 people in the UK survive their cancer for 10 years or more.

Cervical cancer is one of the most common cancers in women and is usually curable with early detection. Every woman aged 25 years and above should routinely undergo screening to help prevent cervical cancer. Recent headlines in the media have sparked debate about recommendations from the UK National Screening Committee on cervical cancer screening.

Hearing the roar of those engines as you take off to your dream destination has been forever in our minds while coping with Covid-19 lockdown fever. 2022 is the year you can start exploring your own version of paradise and with coronavirus restrictions starting to abate you can indulge your wanderlust.

An ongoing debate has raged over the origins of Syphilis. The English called it the “French disease”. Academics in Bucharest in 2014 unearthed its linguistic history and found the French called it a Neapolitan disease.

Love Your Liver Month is celebrated for the whole month of January 2022 in the UK. The British Liver Trust highlights the need to show your liver some love in January, especially after the festive period, and how to take steps towards better liver health.

2022 is fast approaching and it is time to make those New Year resolutions and hopefully keep them. According to a YouGov survey, the top three resolutions made in 2020 interestingly were health related.

Alcohol can cloud your judgment over the festive period especially when it comes to safe sex. You do not need to receive an additional unwelcome gift in the form of a sexually transmitted infection (STI) or unwanted pregnancy. One drunken mistake can affect your long-term health.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has recently released its annual report on the state of sexual health globally, which includes some interesting statistics on sexually transmitted infections (STIs).   STIs are commonly spread by vaginal, anal or oral sexual contact, however some STIs can also be transmitted from a mother to her child during pregnancy, childbirth, and breastfeeding.

Herpes simplex virus is a common infection with as many as 7 in 10 people in the UK population having HSV-1 and approximately 1 in 10 people having HSV-2, according to Nuffield Health.

For those living with HIV, taking a daily tablet is a burden.  On 18 November, health chiefs approved a new HIV treatment administered in two separate injections every two months.  This comes as welcome news in advance of World AIDS Day on 1 December this year.  

The Movember movement began in 2003 with two Australian friends, Travis Garone and Luke Slattery. They set about bringing the moustache back into fashion by persuading their friends to grow one. Their inspiration came from a friend’s mother who was fundraising for breast cancer and associated the moustache with the pink ribbon, but for men.  

A new study on the effects of the national vaccination programme in England on cervical cancer and grade 3 cervical intraepithelial neoplasia incidence was published by The Lancet on 3 November, 2021. 

Getting tested for STIs is an important part of protecting your sexual health and it is recommended that anyone who is sexually active is tested at least once annually. However, visiting a GUM clinic can be daunting, especially if it your first time.  In contrast, Better2Know’s private clinics aim to make the experience of getting tested easy, prioritising your comfort and needs.

Dr Steve Chapman is Better2Know’s medical consultant in Spain and has kindly answered some frequently asked questions for us about Syphilis.  He also acts as our virtual consultant and speaks to our patient’s online and over the telephone.

A Covid-19 antibody or serology test uses a blood sample to identify existing Covid-19 antibodies in the body. The presence of Covid-19 antibodies in the blood can be an indication that someone has either been infected with Covid-19 before or has been vaccinated.