Say hello to STI-detecting dogs
updated the Sunday, January 11, 2015The Brits better get tested for sexually transmitted infections, otherwise they are bound to be greeted by dogs who are equipped with STI-detecting skills… in public!
Last year, 450 000 people contracted an STI (sexually transmitted infections) in the UK. To counter this staggering number, the STI Detection Unit, a British force focusing on detecting this genre of diseases, stroll around the city accompanied by dogs capable of spotting someone with herpes, chlamydia, syphilis or gonorrhoea.
The different smells allow these furry friends to distinguish a disease from another. And once they found a carrier, the agents do not hesitate to stop and inform passers by to prevent them from unknowingly passing on the infection to someone else. It’s mainly in night clubs where the unit’s interventions are more successful. While it might not be entirely accurate, a video on the internet illustrating the STI Detection Unit’s experience has gone viral.
But what are they trying to do with what could be categorized as public embarrassment? To familiarize the British population with STI and encourage them to get tested with a new home test kit launched by Randox Health. This test saves you from prying eyes (of the puppies) and it can detect 10 kinds of STIs. An even better way to get better is perhaps to protect your future partner(s) from the disease as well.
Clémence Floc’h
