Everyone who is at an increased risk of contracting the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) will have access to PrEP care from next year, said outgoing Healthcare Minister Ernst Kuipers in a letter to the Tweede Kamer. Currently, only men who have sex with men and transgender people with a higher risk of becoming infected are entitled to care using the HIV prevention medications.
The number of STIs in the Netherlands is increasing, and the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM) is concerned. In the coming weeks, the RIVM and municipal health services GGDs will therefore be handing out over 40,000 condoms at festivals and during introduction weeks at higher education institutions, with the message: give love, not an STI. In 2022, STI diagnoses increased among young people in particular.
Sex workers have warned each other about violent clients over 15,000 times in the past twelve months. They did so in reports via the Ugly Mugs NL platform, set up a year ago by Soa Aids Nederland. Sex workers want to protect their colleagues with the reports. They can also use the platform to find care or help to report violent customers to the police, Soa Aids Nederland explained. Iris de Munnik of Ugly Mugs NL is pleased that the platform can help make sex work safer. “We see a need for policies that focus on the safety and wishes of the sex worker,” she said.
There is too much uncertainty about regulations regarding sex workers, says Soa Aids Nederland. The rules differ per municipality, are often "outdated" and "do not reflect the reality of sex workers," the organization said. Soa Aids Nederland provides expertise on the detection and prevention of sexually transmitted infections, including HIV, and advocates for public policy changes.