For a year now, the city of Zurich has been offering free sexually transmitted disease tests for young people. An initial assessment.
3152: This is the number of times young people have been tested for sexually transmitted diseases by the city of Zurich since these tests became free. In June 2023, the city began this pilot project for Zurich residents under the age of 25. The testing centers tested people for the sexually transmitted diseases HIV, syphilis, chlamydia, gonorrhea or hepatitis.
We draw a positive conclusion.
Barbara Burri, who heads the project, says: “We are drawing a positive conclusion.” The need for free tests is particularly great among those under 25. People with little money can also take advantage of the offer. However, they only made up 15 percent of the consultations, according to the city. There were slightly more men than women among the test subjects.
Legend:
Employees of the testing centers carried out, among other things, rapid HIV tests. (reenacted scene)
Keystone/Michael Buholzer
However, it is not possible to determine how many eligible people have actually used the free tests. For her, it is important that people get tested in the first place, says Burri, “and that can almost only be achieved by offering the tests anonymously.” It is therefore not clear whether individual people get tested again and again.
Chlamydia in particular discovered
The tests mainly detected chlamydia – bacteria that cause the most common sexually transmitted diseases. In over 3,000 consultations, the Zurich testing centers confirmed 124 cases. Nine cases of syphilis and four HIV infections were also discovered.
I think we are doing important preventive work.
This is important in order to break chains of infection. Symptoms often do not appear, especially shortly after infection. The infected person is therefore often unaware of the infection and can in turn infect other sexual partners.
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Protects against many sexually transmitted diseases: the condom.
Keystone/Christian Beutler
Tests can therefore help to contain sexually transmitted infections. Project manager Barbara Burri says: “I think we are doing important preventive work.”
City parliament decides on continuation
The pilot project with the free tests is planned for three years and will cost the city of Zurich 2.6 million francs. The University of Zurich is providing scientific support.
The project team plans to take stock of the situation and make a recommendation to parliament at the end of the year. If the city of Zurich wants to offer free tests in the long term, it will need the approval of the Zurich city parliament.