Sexual health in Dubai: the complete guide

1. If something happened in the last 72 hours

A broken condom, unprotected sex with a partner whose HIV status you do not know, a sexual assault or a needle-stick injury can all be possible HIV exposures. HIV post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) can prevent infection, but only if it starts within 72 hours, and it works best within hours.

• Where to get HIV PEP in Dubai, day or night
• The condom broke: what to do now
• How soon you need PEP
• Needle-stick injuries
• Visiting Dubai and worried about an exposure

For other STIs there is no equivalent emergency window, so testing at the right time is what matters.

2. Getting tested

What to test for

A thorough screen covers HIV, syphilis, hepatitis B and C, chlamydia, gonorrhoea, trichomoniasis and Mycoplasma genitalium. Chlamydia and gonorrhoea should be tested from throat and rectal swabs as well as urine where relevant, because infections there are easily missed.

When to test

Testing too early gives false reassurance. As a guide, chlamydia and gonorrhoea can be tested from about 2 weeks, and HIV and syphilis from about 4 to 6 weeks, with a repeat at 12 weeks if advised. Read the full guide to window periods.

Where to test

Dubai has labs, clinics and many home-healthcare services that collect samples at home or in a hotel, usually with results in 24 to 48 hours. See home STD testing, HIV testing and testing at your hotel.

What it costs

Single HIV tests are published at roughly AED 150 to 500 and comprehensive panels at roughly AED 1,000 to 2,650. See STD and HIV test prices in Dubai.

3. Privacy, reporting and the law

This is where most confusion, and most misinformation, lies.

• Confidential, not anonymous. Licensed providers must verify your identity, and your records are protected by UAE health-data law.
• Reporting. Doctors and labs must notify the DHA of certain diagnosed infections: HIV within 24 hours, and others including chlamydia, gonorrhoea, syphilis, chancroid, herpes, trichomoniasis, genital warts and hepatitis B, C and D within 5 working days. Negative results are not reported.
• Employers are not entitled to see a test you arrange yourself without your consent. Insurers see what is claimed.
• NABIDH, Dubai's shared health record, treats sexual health data as sensitive, and you can ask to opt out.
• Visa medicals test all residence applicants for HIV and tuberculosis, and some occupations for hepatitis and syphilis. They do not test for chlamydia, gonorrhoea or herpes.

Read more:

• Is HIV and STD testing confidential in Dubai?
• Will my employer or insurer see my STD test?
• NABIDH and your sexual health records
• The UAE visa medical and your sexual health

4. Treatment

Most bacterial STIs, including chlamydia, gonorrhoea and syphilis, are cured with the right antibiotics. Herpes cannot be cured, but antiviral treatment shortens outbreaks. Hepatitis B can be prevented with a vaccine, and hepatitis C can now be cured in most people. HIV cannot be cured, but modern treatment lets people live long, healthy lives, and people with HIV who take treatment as prescribed and keep an undetectable viral load do not pass HIV on through sex.

• STI treatment at home
• Chlamydia, gonorrhoea and syphilis
• Herpes outbreak treatment
• Hepatitis B and C

5. Prevention

• Condoms reduce the risk of most STIs.
• PrEP prevents HIV in people who are likely to be exposed. See PEP vs PrEP in the UAE and PrEP in Dubai.
• Hepatitis B vaccination is safe and highly effective.
• Regular testing, for example every 3 to 6 months if you have new partners, finds infections early.

6. Costs and insurance

The DHA's basic Essential Benefits Plan excludes HIV-related care, and elective sexual health screening is often not covered on basic plans. Many people pay directly, which also keeps the service off their insurance claims. See how much PEP costs in Dubai.

7. Choosing a provider

Whatever you choose, look for:

• a DHA licence you can check
• honesty about identity checks and reporting, rather than promises of anonymity
• the right tests from the right sites, not just a long list of parameters
• a physician who explains results and arranges treatment
• clear prices before you commit

8. If you need help now

If a possible exposure happened in the last 72 hours, speak to a physician now. If you are in danger, call 999.