Measures to curb the spread of coronavirus have had an influence on sexual behaviour
Keystone
The 236 registered HIV infections reported in Switzerland at the end of 2020 are about a third fewer than for the same period last year, according to the Federal Office of Public Health.
This content was published on
1 minute
Keystone-SDA/ts
The Swiss AIDS Federation attributes this to the Covid-19 pandemic.
“Either people have been tested less for HIV during the coronavirus period or they have had fewer unprotected sexual contacts,” Nathan Schocher, head of the People with HIV programme at the Swiss AIDS Federation, told Swiss public radio, SRF, on Monday.
Schocher said the measures taken to curb the spread of coronavirus had also had an influence on sexual behaviour. “For example, the elimination of meeting places. The clubs and bars that had closed and the curfew had changed people’s sexual behaviour,” he said.
According to UNAIDSExternal link, 38 million around the world were living with HIV in 2019 and 1.7 million became newly infected. Last year 690 000 people died from AIDS-related illnesses, taking the total number of AIDS-related deaths to 32.7 million since the start of the epidemic.
In Switzerland around 17,000 people were living with HIV in 2018.
Popular Stories
More
Workplace Switzerland
Trump tariff shock: how Switzerland is positioning itself
What factors should be taken into account when inheriting Swiss citizenship abroad?
Should there be a limit to the passing on of Swiss citizenship? Or is the current practice too strict and it should still be possible to register after the age of 25?
Is your place of origin, your Heimatort, important to you?
Every Swiss citizen has a Heimatort, a place of origin, but many have never visited theirs. What’s your relationship with your Heimatort? What does it mean to you?
Switzerland postpones online platform scrutiny as US tensions rise
This content was published on
Switzerland has delayed regulating large online platforms such as Google, Facebook, YouTube and X while trade tensions are rising.
Swiss Rhône river region braces for possible flooding
This content was published on
A pre-alert for possible flooding has been announced for the Rhône river as some regions of Switzerland brace for bad weather.
Switzerland commits CHF250 million for humanitarian aid
This content was published on
Switzerland allocates CHF250m to the World Food Programme, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and the International Committee of the Red Cross.
This content was published on
Swiss electricity grid operator posts CHF103.8 million net profit, an increase of CHF3.8 million from 2023, boosted by higher tariffs.
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.
Read more
More
For the Swiss, condoms mean safety but not pleasure
This content was published on
Even if the population is aware of the condom’s protective powers against HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), this knowledge does not translate into systematic use, according to a survey by the Sotomo research institute, commissioned by the Federal Office of Public Health. No rubber means more risks For 81% of the 1,019 participants in the survey, the condom…
This content was published on
The Swiss government is stepping up support for the fight against infectious diseases with a CHF100 million contribution to two UN health agencies.
This content was published on
Swiss announce a CHF7 million ($7 million) increase in funding to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria at Lyon donor conference.
UNAIDS boss offers to resign next June after critical report
This content was published on
The UNAIDS chief Michel Sidibe has offered to quit next June after a critical report into sexual harassment at the Geneva-based agency.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.