Chlamydia, syphilis... Health Insurance launches a free screening kit for 18-25 year olds

To combat the resurgence of chlamydia and gonorrhea infections, the French health insurance system announced on Monday the launch of a free, home-delivered self-test kit for young people aged 18 to 25.

Available from July 1 for women, online ordering of the kit will be extended to men "during the second half of the year," according to a press release from the Cnam.

The request can be made directly on the ameli website, after completing a "quick ten-question questionnaire." The kit will be delivered "to the location of your choice," and you will then need to return the tube containing the self-sample to a laboratory.

"The young person will be notified of the availability of their results by SMS within five working days," the Health Insurance added.

Steadily increasing since the 2000s, bacterial sexually transmitted infections (STIs) are "a public health issue due to the serious risks they pose to both women and men," such as infertility or the risk of ectopic pregnancy, the Health Insurance stressed.

Between 2021 and 2023, gonorrhea cases jumped by 59% in men and 46% in women, while chlamydia cases increased by 10% in men, according to Public Health France.

"Even in the absence of symptoms," it is possible to be a carrier of an STI, "and to transmit it," the organization reminded, "which is why screening is an essential tool in the fight against the spread of these diseases."

The launch of the kit is part of "my STI test", which since September 2024 has allowed those under 26 to be tested free of charge and without a prescription for four infections: chlamydia trachomatis, gonorrhea, syphilis and hepatitis B.

According to the French Health Insurance Agency, sending a self-sampling kit has already proven its effectiveness during the "Chlamyweb" experiment conducted in 2012 by the National Institute for Prevention and Health Education (Inpes).

This system had made it possible to multiply "by 3.4 the use of Chlamydia screening among young people compared to referral to the healthcare system" (general practitioners, gynecologists, free information, screening and diagnostic centers, etc.).