Sex is exciting, but you have to watch out for STIs (sexually transmitted infections) like Chlamydia or HIV. One out of seven people in the Netherlands, who gets tested, has a STI. Did you know that this percentage is higher among immigrants? Almost one out of five people from Suriname the Netherlands Antilles or Sub Saharan Africa who gets tested has a STI.
HIV, the virus that breaks down a person’s immune system and can cause AIDS, is found more than twice as often among first-generation immigrants than among native Dutch. Nearly half of all people with HIV, who are originally from Sub Saharan Africa and living in the Netherlands, do not even know they have it! Often HIV amongst Sub Saharan Africans is discovered only if they have serious health problems.
Fortunately, most STI’s can be treated well. For example, Chlamydia is easy to treat with pills. Some STIs, such as HIV, cannot be cured. But a timely treatment start may enable you to live a good, long and healthy life. And by taking good care of yourself you decrease the risk of transmitting HIV to others. So it is important you get tested in time. The sooner you get treatment, the better!
Keep yourself and your loved ones healthy. Get tested! Get treated! Go to the website of Soa Aids Netherland and get a recommendations for testing based on country of origin: www.soaaids.nl/testadvies