The ‘Undetectable = Untransmittable’ (U=U) campaign aims to empower people living with HIV. Key priorities for U=U policy and research were the focus of a half-day global roundtable held alongside the 2023 International AIDS Society conference. There is a need to include all priority populations in U=U policy and promotion. Adopting language of ‘zero risk’, was identified as crucial when describing U=U. Addressing structural barriers to HIV care is vital to ensure the full benefits of U=U are realised.

Syphilis, a pressing public health issue with severe potential complications, demands increased targeted screening interventions, especially among high-risk populations. This review examines a range of approaches, revealing technology-driven methods and linked syphilis screening with HIV monitoring particularly promising. Implementing successful, feasible and cost-effective interventions has the potential to enhance syphilis detection leading to prompt treatment, better patient outcomes and reduced community transmission.

This study documents adolescent men who have sex with men aged between 16 and 20 years and assesses the magnitude of change in sexual practice and trajectory in this population. Compared to an earlier study cohort, the median age at first sex was slightly increased in this cohort and there was a small delay in first-sex activity. This study elicits evidence of changes in sexual practice which could translate into targeted sexually transmitted infections prevention strategies.

Female sexual dysfunction brings great trouble to women. Evidence suggests that women with greater pelvic floor muscle (PFM) strength have better sexual function. Sexually active women have better PFM endurance than inactive women. However, it has also been reported that PFM strength is not correlated with sexual function. Here, we assessed female PFM function with electromyography, and explored the relationships between electromyography parameters and sexual dysfunction, in an attempt to provide an objective basis for sexual dysfunction diagnosis and treatment.

Prior to the global Monkeypox (Mpox) outbreak, we developed a smartphone app (HeHealth) where users can take pictures of their penises with a smartphone to screen for symptomatic sexually transmitted diseases. We further developed the Mpox tool that involved formative research, stakeholder engagement, rapid consolidation of Mpox images, a validation study, and implementation. Artificial intelligence and machine learning approaches can be initiated by smaller datasets and refined along the way, which is important in the event of global pandemics or outbreaks.

Even in the modern day, people living with HIV (PLHIV) are often subjected to poorer physical and mental health outcomes. Such health outcomes were identified in this case series, whereby six patients were noted to be experiencing significant stress, anxiety and medication side effects from electing to receive cheap, suboptimal HIV treatments to remain below Australian visa medical cost thresholds. These findings reinforce the need to review Australian migration laws which currently discriminate against PLHIV.

Sydney Sexual Health Centre (SSHC) piloted MyCheck, a direct-to-pathology pathway that facilitated bloodborne virus/sexually transmissible infection testing at participating pathology collection centres located across New South Wales. This qualitative study sought to understand perspectives of acceptability of the MyCheck intervention among SSHC clients and providers’. The MyCheck intervention was perceived by both SSHC clients and staff as an acceptable bloodborne virus/sexually transmissible infection testing pathway. However, further work is required to address stigma experienced by some clients when attending pathology collection centres.

Bacterial vaginosis is the most common cause of vaginal discharge in reproductive age women, yet little is known about it in postmenopausal women. This survey of Australian postmenopausal women found that women continue to report bacterial vaginosis after menopause, it affects their quality of life, and it is associated with sexual activity. Women of all ages are susceptible to bacterial vaginosis, research should not be limited to younger women, and developing an appropriate testing method should be a research priority.

The incidence of sexual assault continues to rise in Australia. However, there is a paucity of literature examining the nature of assault and subsequent management for victims of all genders. The findings of this large, retrospective clinical audit determined that the nature of assault differs between male and female victims, with varying detail of clinical documentation. There is need for a standard primary care protocol for clients presenting with acute sexual assault.