HIV on the rise among young people, with positive cases rising from 1.6% to 2.4% in one year.

Cases of sexually transmitted infections are on the rise, even among young people. This was revealed by the National Institute for Infectious Diseases (INMI) "Lazzaro Spallanzani," which conducted 3,378 HIV tests in the first six months of 2025, with 82 new diagnoses, representing 2.4% of those tested. This figure is up from 2024, when 1,379 tests were performed, with 22 positive cases (1.6% of those tested). During "Science Week," the Roman institute organized two film clubs to educate young people about infectious diseases, HIV, and sexually transmitted infections.

Testing for syphilis, gonorrhea, and chlamydia has also been intensified: over 1,500 tests for syphilis and more than 1,300 for other sexually transmitted diseases were performed in the first six months of 2025, with an exponential growth in testing, +500% from 2023 to 2025.

"Young people," explains Valentina Mazzotta, head of the HIV and STI Counseling, Testing, and Prophylaxis Clinic, "are now engaging in sex at an early age, but many are unaware of sexually transmitted infections, their consequences, or prevention tools, and awareness is still low."

"In Lazio," he continues, "over 10% of new HIV diagnoses in 2023 involved young people under 25. This data confirms the need for information and prevention efforts among young people. In general, the age group most affected by new HIV diagnoses is between 20 and 34." The data, however, "must be put into context. We are doing more testing, and therefore more infections are emerging. Part of the increase is linked to the increase in people using PREP (Pre-exposure Prophylaxis) and undergoing regular checkups."

Tomorrow, the Institute will screen the film "Dallas Buyers Club" (2013), which tells the true story of Ron Woodroof, a Texas electrician diagnosed with HIV in the 1980s, when the disease was still little known and stigmatized, and effective treatments weren't available, as they are today. On Wednesday, September 24, it will be the turn of the 2011 film "Contagion," directed by Steven Soderbergh, a thriller that chronicles the spread of a lethal virus and science's race against time to stop it. Both events will be followed by a discussion with doctors and experts.