Another year of Perth Pride has come and gone, and what another fantastic year it was! But now that the parties and celebration have come to an end, it might be the time to think about your post party maintenance; I’m talking about maintenance in the form of HIV and STI screening.
The past few months, the M Clinic has seen the rates of HIV and STI’s such as Gonorrhoea, Chlamydia and Syphilis stay steady, but definitely present in the community.
Even if you practice safer sex (by wearing condoms), you could still be at risk of picking up syphilis or another sexually transmitted infection through other sexual activities like oral sex.
The good news is that the hangover from the party doesn’t need to persist because STIs are curable or treatable, so it really is worthwhile getting a test. And remember, not all STI’s show symptoms, so testing is the only way to know for sure.
Now that the big holiday break is quickly approaching, this also means that many services will also go on break. The M Clinic’s last day of testing will be Friday, December 12th, 2014 and our first day testing in the New Year will be Tuesday, January 6th, 2015. With appointments filling in quick, we are encouraging guys to plan ahead and call us to book in.
As the M Clinic will likely book up over the next month, it is important to note there are many other options of where you
can get tested. For a list of options, check out www.waaids.com and click on the sexual health icon. You can also be tested by your GP. If you want to get a full screen (testing for all STI’s in all sites) it is very important to be very clear about your sexual practices with the testing facilitators so they can test you accordingly.
For more information on testing, go to www.mclinic.org.au or contact the M Clinic on 9227 0734 to make an appointment.
Wish you all a Happy Holiday,
Tony Bober
