Elderly men living near Finland’s eastern border appear to give in to the temptation to engage in sex tourism across the border in Russia. However the jaunts don’t always have a happy ending.

The problem affects male seniors living in South Karelia in particular – last year the average age of men diagnosed with HIV infections was over 60. In 2016, all of the HIV infections reported in South Karelia were among men over the age of 70, according to the South Karelia Social and Health Care District.

Additionally, a significant proportion of the infections were traced to Russia, NGOs say.

“What is most worrying is that the infections are often discovered too late. It may not have presented any symptoms for several years,” said Pia Västinsalo, of Helsinki NGO Hivpoint.

HIVpoint recently caused a social media stir among some UK users when it published sex education material depicting interracial and gay couples having sex.

Västinsalo said that HIV infections should be diagnosed as early as possible to ensure that they can be effectively treated and to prevent spreading the infection to other sex partners.

HIV infections generally present no symptoms for long periods and as a result many people do not get tested. Roughly half of people who are infected experience flu-like symptoms after a few weeks, but they disappear in two weeks or so, another reason why few will suspect that they have been infected.

Symptoms appear only when the body’s defence mechanism begins to weaken – a process that may take up to 10 years.

“Of the infections [determined to have come] from Russia, about 80 percent have been diagnosed only when the body’s defences have significantly weakened,” the healthcare advisor said. Read more via yle