Sexually Transmitted Infections during the COVID-19 outbreak: comparison of patients referring to the service of sexually transmitted diseases during the sanitary emergency with those referring during the common practice.

Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and diseases (STDs) affect millions of people every year worldwide1 . In Italy, data are provided by the Italian National Institute of Health (INIH) and reported to the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC)2,3 . In 1991 and 2009 the Italian sentinel surveillance system was established, consisting in 25 public centers (12 clinical, 13 laboratories) on the national field for diagnosis, treatment and data transmission to the INIH4 . The STDs service of Dermatology, Bologna belongs to it and is a free-access service (7.30-11 am) from Monday to Friday, with a patient flow of 50 patients/day.