“I really think what we need for STIs and sexual health in general is a refreshed and renewed commitment. We just have not paid the same attention to these infections that we have paid for many, many things. And if we don’t really get our priorities straight when it comes to this, for both men and women and everybody in between, we’re really never going to fix this problem.”
– Jeanne Marrazzo, IDSA CEO speaking at CROI 2026
This issue of STIWatch focuses on a growing tension in the global STI response: real scientific and programmatic progress alongside persistent underinvestment, fragile systems, and geopolitics. It covers calls from the Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI) 2026 for renewed commitment to STIs; examines momentum and remaining gaps around HPV prevention and screening on HPV Awareness Day; previews the upcoming release of STI advocacy agendas in Kenya, South Africa and Zimbabwe; and highlights how the incredibly low price for a dual HIV/syphilis diagnostic could transform maternal and child health, if financing, delivery and accountability keep pace.
CROI Update
At CROI 2026, Jeanne Marrazzo, the new CEO of the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) delivered a wide-ranging and urgent plenary on STIs, warning that they remain widespread, under detected and dangerously underprioritized even as HIV outcomes improve. She highlighted troubling global trends in syphilis, gonorrhea and congenital syphilis, emphasizing that surveillance gaps, weakened public health systems and declining trust in data are obscuring the true scale of epidemics. Marrazzo reviewed emerging tools, including DoxyPEP, new antibiotics for drug-resistant gonorrhea and promising vaccine research, while stressing the risks of antimicrobial resistance and the need for careful monitoring. Marrazzo reiterated that technological advances alone are not enough. Ending STI epidemics will require renewed investment in diagnostics, vaccines, real-world implementation and public health systems built on equity, especially for women, children and communities who continue to bear the greatest burden.
HPV Awareness Day
Progress, Gaps, and What’s at Stake
Today, March 4, is HPV Awareness Day, a moment to take stock of the progress and persistent gaps in preventing HPV-related cancers. Vaccines have been available for nearly 20 years, yet global coverage remains inadequate, and many countries still lack strong screening programs, which leads to missed opportunities to detect and treat pre-cancers and cancers early. New tools, including simplified one-dose vaccine schedules and HPV tests that allow self-collection, show promise, but access, affordability and implementation remain uneven. See the latest on HPV vaccines, diagnostics and treatment on STIWatch.org.
Coming Soon: STI Advocacy Agendas Across Africa
Across much of the world, STIs are widespread, underdiagnosed and underprioritized. In Kenya, South Africa and Zimbabwe, a group of partners came together with AVAC in January to build a cross-country STI advocacy network and develop national advocacy agendas. Over six months, partners have worked to align on shared definitions of advocacy, map strengths, share and review findings from landscaping analyses that have documented resources, gaps and challenges in their respective countries. These advocacy agendas will be published and shared widely in April 2026, so watch this space.
A Model for the Future? Dual HIV / Syphilis Rapid Diagnostic Test
The price of a new combined HIV/syphilis rapid diagnostic test has fallen to $0.84 per test helping to expand screening for pregnant people and prevent missed diagnoses that drive mother-to-child transmission of HIV and syphilis and poor birth outcomes. A new MedAccess case study details how a partnership with CHAI and SD Biosensor expanded access to this dual test for millions of women while saving countries and procurers millions of dollars. Lower prices alone are not enough, though. Expanded screening must be matched with reliable supply chains, trained health workers, community engagement and sustained funding so testing leads to treatment and followup.
What We’re Reading
- WHO consolidated operational handbook on sexually transmitted infections, WHO
- Association between partner treatment and repeat sexually transmitted infections positivity in pregnant women in East London, South Africa, Sexually Transmitted Infections
- Meningitis B Vaccine Fails to Protect Against Gonorrhea in Trial, MedPage Today
- The Benefits and Drawbacks of At-Home STI Testing, Wired
- Point-of-care testing to strengthen sexually transmitted infection case management in resource-constrained settings, Sexually Transmitted Infections
- New hepatitis B drug could help ‘functionally cure’ some patients, Science
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