Vorarlberg sexual health group reports record testing demand

Sexual Health Vorarlberg conducted a record 2,294 tests for sexually transmitted infections in 2025 as more people seek testing, ORF reports. The association, formerly known as Aidshilfe Vorarlberg, has offered anonymous testing every Tuesday afternoon in Bregenz for the past 40 years.

According to the association, 793 people were tested for HIV in 2025, 538 for syphilis, 444 for hepatitis C, and 519 each for chlamydia and gonorrhoea. Only a small proportion of the tests were positive.

The number of tests rose significantly between 2021 and 2025. Demand is now so high that the service would need to expand, although the association must first create the necessary capacity.

Managing director Manuela Köhler said the increase was partly linked to the organisation’s name change three years ago. The term AIDS was associated with illness, she said, while looking after one’s sexual health carried a different meaning.

Köhler also said testing had become normal for younger people. The service remains important because it is anonymous and requires neither an appointment nor an electronic health card, she said.

Alongside testing, the association provides counselling. Its 40th anniversary motto is “Let’s talk about sex”.

Stigma remains a problem

HIV is no longer necessarily fatal and can be treated with medication, Köhler said. However, the stigmatisation and discrimination faced by people living with HIV had not changed.

She said exclusion could begin among friends when someone disclosed their status and could extend to medical treatment being refused by a dentist.

Medication is available not only to treat HIV but also to prevent infection, Köhler said. PrEP is an important part of HIV prevention and can reduce the risk of infection by 99 percent. People taking PrEP or obtaining a prescription must undergo regular testing, she said.