Chinese international students comprise a large proportion of international student populations in Australia, the United States and the United Kingdom, and are at an increased risk of acquiring sexually transmissible infections (STIs), as well as experiencing sexual violence and unplanned pregnancies when studying abroad. This review found that Chinese international students have low levels of sexual and reproductive health knowledge and experience many barriers to accessing health services when studying abroad. Universities need to implement health promotion initiatives and services that are more culturally sensitive and inclusive to this population.

Accurate knowledge about sexually transmitted infections (STIs) is inadequate among youth but little is known about the factors that are associated with young people’s STI knowledge. This study examined diverse correlates and predictors of late adolescents’ STI knowledge. STI knowledge disparities were identified. These related to a variety of characteristics that should inform future sexual health interventions.

Transgender women (TGW) are at risk of HIV and other sexually transmitted infections (STIs), but the epidemiological data are limited worldwide. We applied a peer-referral method in two cities in Sri Lanka, and revealed substantial vulnerability towards HIV and STIs among TGW in this middle-income country, although the epidemic has not yet been firmly established. This provides a window of opportunity to avoid progression of STI transmission by rekindling the prevention effort and taking specific findings into account.

Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is a highly effective tool for HIV prevention. However, research and clinical practice has traditionally overlooked sexual satisfaction with PrEP use. To explore this, we performed a cross-sectional survey of men who have sex with men (MSM) taking PrEP and found that starting PrEP was associated with a significant increase in sexual satisfaction. We recommend that clinicians incorporate a more patient-centred, sex-positive approach to PrEP care among MSM.

The results of this Swiss study indicate that 5.3% of young adults were virgins at 26 years of age. Male gender, poor health, less satisfaction with social life, living with parents, having no experimentation with substances and not using online dating applications or pornography was associated with virginity at this age. Sexual inactivity among young adults should be considered by health professionals to ensure the absence of distress and open discussion for potential questions.

The uncertainty of management of neurosyphilis in clinical settings in China urged us to investigate whether this troublesome manifestation of syphilis infection that may lead to irreversible neurological sequelae is properly diagnosed and treated. In our survey, the diagnosis and treatment of neurosyphilis in hospitals was insufficient, as well as more than half of clinicians failed to follow the guidelines for treatment. Hence, more attention and effective measures and are urgently needed to improve this suboptimal situation.

There are missed opportunities for HIV testing and diagnosis in priority settings and high-risk populations in New South Wales, Australia. 69% of the 420 health workers in Western Sydney Local Health District who responded to our survey were unaware that HIV testing is offered in their clinical areas and clinicians described low levels of comfort (2.56/5) and confidence (1.97/5) discussing and performing HIV testing; noted barriers to HIV testing included procedural knowledge, identification of at-risk patients, and perceived stigma. Clinicians working in priority settings and with priority populations require more support to increase HIV testing.

The test positivity rate of sexual contacts of people with syphilis has not been established. We aimed to characterise this group of people attending a public sexual health service and identified low rates of syphilis but high rates of other sexually transmitted infections and HIV, suggesting this group should be offered comprehensive testing and HIV prevention.

University students in Australia, especially international students, may be at increased risk of STI. We found STI testing was highest among domestic Australian-born (38%, n = 2172), followed by domestic overseas-born (34%, n = 359), with lowest rates among international students (32%, n = 420).0 STI knowledge was also lower among international students compared with both domestic student groups. Universities have a duty of care to provide access to sexual health information and services for the diverse student cohort, particularly for international students.