San Francisco Department of Public Health Encourages STI Testing This Valentine's Day

SAN FRANCISCO – This Valentine’s Day, the San Francisco Department of Public Health (SFPDH) is encouraging all sexually active people to have open and honest conversations about their sexual health with their health care provider and partners, and test for sexually transmitted infections (STIs), including HIV. These actions will help prevent the spread of STIs and if needed, connect people with treatment and prevention services.

While chlamydia, gonorrhea, and early syphilis rates have declined overall in San Francisco since 2017, the number of reported female syphilis cases have risen. In 2017, there were 60 female syphilis cases reported in the City. In 2023, there were 202 reported cases, a 237% increase.

Syphilis is passed on when a person comes in contact with a syphilis sore during sex. The sore is usually firm, round, and painless, and appears around 1-12 weeks after exposure to someone with syphilis. Like many STIs, syphilis does not always cause symptoms and as a result, someone may have syphilis and not realize it. Therefore, frequent testing and communication is an important part of everyone’s sexual health routine.  

“Valentine’s Day is a great reminder for people to think about their sexual health. The sooner STIs such as syphilis are detected, the better,” said San Francsico Health Officer Dr. Susan Philip. “If you are sexually active, talk with your health care provider about STI testing and any questions or concerns you have about your sexual health. Your provider will let you know which STI tests are recommended for you.”

At-home STI/HIV testing is an option for people who are not comfortable testing in a clinical setting. SFDPH has partnered with Take Me Home to provide free and confidential testing kits though the mail. Visit takemehome.org to learn more. In addition to testing, there are several tools and resources people can utilize to protect their sexual health, including:

• Learning about doxy-PEP, an antibiotic that is highly effective at preventing syphilis and chlamydia. In San Francisco, doxy-PEP is recommended for cis men, trans women, and other gender-diverse people who were assigned male sex at birth who have had a bacterial STI in the past year and who have had condomless anal or oral sexual contact with at least one partner who was assigned male sex at birth in the past year.  
• Learning about HIV PrEP, a highly effective HIV prevention method that can be taken in a pill or injectable form.  
• Getting vaccinated to help prevent hepatitis A, hepatitis B, human papillomavirus (HPV), meningitis, and mpox infections. 

Those who do not have insurance or are having difficulty accessing care are welcome to visit SFDPH’s SF City Clinic (SFCC), a nationally recognized center of excellence in sexual health services. SFCC offers comprehensive, integrated sexual and reproductive health care, including STI, HIV, and HCV testing, diagnosis, and treatment. Visit sfcityclinic.org to learn more.

In addition, SFDPH has collaborated with community partners to open Health Access Points (HAPs), which provide equity-focused, stigma-free, and low barrier access to STI, HIV, and HCV prevention, care, and treatment services. While everyone is welcome at the HAPs, each HAP is designed to address the specific health needs of priority populations, such as gay, bisexual, and men who have sex with men, people who use drugs, people experiencing homelessness, and young adults.