This interim position statement from the Australasian Society for HIV, Viral Hepatitis and Sexual Health Medicine (ASHM) outlines evidence for the effectiveness of doxycycline prophylaxis to prevent bacterial sexually transmitted infections (STI), namely syphilis, chlamydia and gonorrhoea, and outlines potential risks of this prevention strategy. This position statement aims to provide clinicians in Australia with the information needed to conduct evidence-based conversations with patients about this STI prevention strategy.

Young gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men (YMSM) are disproportionately affected by sexually transmitted infections (STIs). Our study tested and found that more than half of the sampled 248 college and university YMSM in Nairobi, Kenya, had at least one of five curable STIs. There is thus need for concerted efforts to address the high burden of STIs in this population.

‘Who has sex with whom?’ is the primary question that dictates how HIV and other sexually transmitted infections spread in populations. We used such sexual network data from a sample of Chinese men who have sex with men (to further answer, ‘who transmits to whom?’ Our findings – that most HIV transmission originates in men who have sex with men shortly after sexual debut – can guide the targeting of resources to the highest-need subgroups to arrest HIV spread.

The prevalence of pornography consumption remains high in Malaysia despite governmental efforts in banning sexually explicit content. The current research revealed that the attitudes and behaviours related to pornography consumption among Malaysian emerging adults match trends that have been observed globally, and that pornography use can be particularly beneficial or detrimental for women. Findings highlight the need for comprehensive sex education to be provided to adolescents and emerging adults in Malaysia to promote sexual health literacy, especially among women.

Current sexually transmitted infection (STI) guidelines recommend that men who have sex with men (MSM) taking pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) should be tested every 3 months for chlamydia and gonorrhoea regardless of symptoms. However, these guidelines have not led to a noticeable reduction of gonorrhoea and chlamydia rates and there is increasing concern about antibiotic consumption among this group and its impact on antimicrobial resistance. We interviewed MSM to explore their attitudes to 3-monthly screening and how they would feel about screening less frequently.

We evaluated a 4-h online Nudgeathon aimed to co-design a digital advertisement campaign for HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) among overseas-born men who have sex with men. All interviewees were satisfied with the end-product they co-designed with their group, which proved to be as productive in co-designing solutions as past Nudgeathons conducted in person, lasting 1–2 days. Online co-design workshops can be a fast and efficient option for developing potential solutions to sensitive issues, such as PrEP.

Nudge theory argues that a large portion of human behaviour is the result of how choices are presented to us, as opposed rational considerations such as which choices are in our best interests. ‘Nudges’ are interventions that allow policy makers to cheaply alter behaviour without significantly changing economic incentives. We investigate the use of these techniques as tools to increase awareness of pre-exposure prophylaxis, an effective HIV prevention strategy, among overseas-born men who have sex with men in Australia.