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James Sneddon, co-founder of Stigma Health shared “The availability of bulk-billed referral for testing means wider access to sexual health services such as these that help keep the community healthy and safe”.

The importance of increased access to fast and effective testing has never been greater as people have put off testing.

The most recent report into sexually transmissible infections in Australia identified the hidden dangers of putting off testing, highlighting that more than 1 in 25 young people aged 15-29 in Australia had chlamydia during 2021 but less than a third of those received a diagnosis^, and an estimated 2,630 people living with HIV in the community were unaware of their status+.

“If just 50% of those people came forward for testing, we could potentially see a 300% increase in diagnosis. STIs are one of those awkward topics we avoid speaking about with a doctor face-to-face – we want to make sure this is no longer a factor for not being tested and ensure people are swiping right on getting it done” Sneddon said.

“Our service removes that cringe factor by offering bulk-billed online referral with results delivered directly to your phone via a convenient app within 2-3 days.” Sneddon continued.

Stigma Health has been a significant part of Australia’s STI testing ecosystem and growing at a fast pace, identifying 1 in 25 HIV cases and 2,622 STIs nationwide in the last year alone**.

“Early detection is crucial to improving sexual health across the country by enabling the opportunity for early intervention treatment and ultimately reducing the longer-term burden they can place on people’s lives”. Dr Mitchell Tanner, co-founder of Stigma Health said.