the tests in Foggia, the Locaputo appeal

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Educate Prevent Test (Ept Unifg). This is the title chosen for the education, prevention and HIV / syphilis test offer for the university population of Foggia. The meeting took place this morning in room 1 of the Department of Humanities, Letters, Cultural Heritage, Educational Sciences in via Arpi.

“The effectiveness of antiretroviral therapy in controlling HIV infection has changed the life prospects of HIV-positive people”Declares Sergio Locaputo, professor of infectious diseases. “However, also thanks to the lack of information and prevention campaigns by the institutions, the successes in the therapeutic field have reduced the perception of the risk of contracting the infection in the population, suggesting that the ‘AIDS emergency’ is now over . On the contrary, today we are witnessing a steady number of new HIV infections, mainly acquired through sexual intercourse. Other sexually transmitted diseases such as syphilis are just as common. Hence the importance of carrying out specific tests or tests for other sexually transmitted diseases ” he adds.

In Foggia 650 HIV positive

The Educate, Prevent and Test project – which aims to expand knowledge about sexually transmitted diseases among students enrolled at the University of Foggia – provides for the overall offer of 2000 rapid capillary tests for HIV and syphilis to be used for students universities of the main departments of the University of Foggia. The aim is to raise awareness among the university population on the issue of STIs, promoting information and prevention of HIV infections and syphilis in a different context than traditional health facilities.

The project will take place over six months with screening days every two weeks and will be preceded and followed by two face-to-face meetings to lay the foundations and present the results of the activities carried out. The offer of the test and the on-site delivery of the result obtained will be accompanied by a counseling activity managed by medical personnel (infectious disease specialists) and not (volunteer students of medicine, surgery and dentistry), adequately trained. Participation in the two face-to-face meetings and at least one of the screening days will have a value of Ade for the students, with the number of credits to be defined that will be acquired at the end of the project.

“In recent years, HIV infection has decreased, but we do not know if the decrease is related to the lack of tests during the pandemic or really to a decrease, while sexually transmitted diseases, syphilis in the first place, are on the rise.“, concludes Prof. Locaputo.