It is two weeks after New Years Eve and one month before Valentine’s Day, S-T-I-Q Day (the UK’s sexual health awareness day) has come around once again. This time of year was chosen since it takes 14 days before most sexually transmitted infections can be detected so getting tested now will ensure all of those romantics have a clean bill of health before the 14th of February . The goal of S-T-I-Q Day is to promote sexual health screening and this year there is an added extra.
The STI Clinic – the UK’s leading online and postal testing service - launched an Anonymous Notification Service for their clients to inform sexual partners of a positive test result. Anyone who has taken a test through The STI Clinic and had a positive result may avail themselves of this service.
Most men and women do not know they have infections like Chlamydia as it is often symptomless. Yet this is one of the most common sexually transmitted infections and it can have long term consequences such as female infertility and ectopic pregnancies, as we reported yesterday. Between 2008 and 2009 there was a huge increase in the number of STIs reported, 12,000 more in fact, and it is not known how many people are walking around with infections but never get tested.
For more information on S-T-I-Q Day, go to STIQ Day