Switzerland cuts funds for prevention of sexual diseases even as cases rise

In February, the Swiss Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH) announced that it will reduce funding for several national strategies in order to save CHF11 million ($12.5 million) a year starting in 2026. This includes an initiative to fight sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and HIV and comes at a time when the number of such cases remains high globally. Launched in November 2023, the national strategy on STIs aimed to “reverse the trend” of rising syphilis and gonorrhoea cases, and eliminate HIV as well as hepatitis B and C transmissions (usually spread through injectable drug use) by 2030. Love Life, one of the strategy’s main public-awareness and prevention campaigns, will also be affected by the savings measures, which were imposed by parliament and the government as part of a national plan to reduce public spending. + Budget cuts will affect Swiss preventive health campaigns STIs occur when a virus, bacteria, or parasite – usually transmitted through sexual contact – ...