By Anu S. Maharjan, PhD, DABCC
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), there were 2.4 million sexually transmitted infections (STIs) reported in the United States in 2023. A 61% increase in syphilis since 2019 is most concerning, because a disproportionate impact was seen among adolescents and young adults aged 15-24 years. CDC further emphasizes racial and ethnic disparities in STI prevalence: Non-Hispanic Black and African Americans accounted for 32.4% of all cases of chlamydia, gonorrhea, and primary and secondary syphilis. These STI surveillance data highlight that STIs remain a significant public health challenge and source of healthcare inequity.
In Monday’s session, titled “Eliminating inequities in STIs using point of care testing: Identifying unmet needs,” Nikolina Babic, PhD, DABCC, will present the idea of leveraging point of care testing (POCT) to bring rapid, accessible STI testing directly to those who need it the most.
Babic, who will serve as both moderator and presenter, will begin with a brief introduction that includes a few poll questions and a short, engaging video that compiles responses from clinicians with diverse experiences. It will be interesting to hear each participant’s perspective on the value and challenges of implementing STI POCT in their respective settings, particularly among vulnerable populations.
Vera Tesic, MD, MS, ABMM, will follow up with a presentation on currently available STI POCT technologies. “In communities facing economic hardship and disparate access to primary care, particularly those disproportionately affected by STIs, the POC testing approach will have success if tests are reliable, easy to perform, and affordable,” Tesic says.
To introduce the clinical portion of the session, Babic will lead a brief interactive segment in which the audience will work through several cases of patients presenting with symptoms consistent with STIs. Each case will require empirical management due to the lack of access to rapid STI testing, allowing the audience to test their clinical reasoning and experience firsthand.
Aniruddha Hazra, MD, an infectious diseases clinician, will further discuss real-world clinical challenges, including cases that demonstrate the need for rapid diagnostics. “STI rates are rising, and lab medicine plays a crucial role in bridging this gap,” Hazra says. “Innovations like point of care testing can transform how quickly and effectively patients are diagnosed and treated.”
The session will leave participants with a deeper understanding of the barriers clinicians face in STI diagnosis and management — especially for marginalized populations — and underscore the critical role that timely, accessible, and equitable diagnostic tools like POCT can play in closing those care gaps.
