Over 500 million new and curable STIs occur worldwide each year. With this figure rising year on year, and the increasing emergence of antimicrobial resistance to current STI treatments, the need for STI detection and monitoring is critical and presents an increasing challenge to world public health. Untreated STIs can lead to major health problems in men, women and newborns, however most STIs are easily treated if detected early, although in many cases they are asymptomatic and remain undiagnosed, increasing the risk of unhindered spread.¹ ²

In low and middle-income countries, diagnostic tests are largely unavailable. Where testing is available, it is often expensive and geographically inaccessible; and patients often need to wait a long time (or need to return) to receive results. As a result, follow up can be impeded and care or treatment can be incomplete. Many of these countries rely on syndromic management, which is based on the identification of consistent groups of symptoms and easily recognised signs to guide treatment, without the use of laboratory tests. This approach misses infections that do not demonstrate any syndromes – the majority of STIs globally.¹