Australia records highest number of syphilis cases in 10 year period, report says By Joshua Boscaini Australia is experiencing a “concerning” rise in syphilis, with data showing case numbers have tripled over the past decade. Key points: The Kirby Institute report said Australia recorded the highest number of syphilis diagnoses in a 10 year period It found there were 15 congenital syphilis cases last year, with eight cases among First Nations people The report found the disease increased six-fold among females between 2013 and 2022 A report from the Kirby Institute, titled HIV, Viral Hepatitis and Sexually Transmissible Infections in Australia, found there were 93,777 cases of chlamydia, 32,877 cases of gonorrhoea and 6,036 cases of syphilis in Australia last year. The data was obtained from the National Notifiable Diseases Surveillance System, which monitors diseases that present a risk to public health in Australia. Syphilis rates were more than five times higher in First Nations people compared to non-Indigenous people in 2022, and the disease was more prevalent in remote areas, the report found. It found there were 15 congenital syphilis cases last year — when the disease is passed from a pregnant mother to the infant — with eight cases among First Nations people and seven among non-Indigenous people. Kirby Institute report co-author, Skye McGregor, said the “concerning” data showed Australia recorded the highest number of syphilis diagnoses in a 10-year period. Dr McGregor said First Nations people represented more than half of congenital syphilis cases over the past 10 years, despite making up nearly 4 per cent of the population. She said five of the 15 congenital syphilis cases last year died through stillbirth or shortly after birth. “Congenital syphilis… can lead to significant disability or even death of the infant,” Dr McGregor said. “It shouldn’t be occurring and that really reinforces the need for access to culturally appropriate holistic antenatal care.” While the majority of syphilis cases were recorded in men, the report found the disease increased six-fold among females between 2013 and 2022. Syphilis infections among HIV-negative gay and bisexual men increased 55 per cent in the same period, according to the Kirby Institute report. Dr McGregor said that the rise in syphilis was fuelled by outbreaks in remote areas of Queensland in 2011 which have spread to other jurisdictions across Australia. She said reduced STI testing and education during the COVID-19 pandemic and better HIV prevention methods among gay and bisexual men may have also led to a rise in cases. “I think there’s been enormous investment in syphilis, but it shows you how complex it is. Often we’re talking about populations who have experienced marginalisation,” Dr McGregor said. “Among gay and bisexual men, we’re seeing more comprehensive testing and greater availability and awareness of HIV prevention strategies, which then has potentially led to a decrease in the use of condoms and greater sexual mixing.” Sexual health education needs to be ‘culturally sensitive’ Kirby Institute Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander unit manager Robert Monaghan said there needed to be a “raft” of measures to address the high numbers of sexually transmitted infections in Aboriginal communities. Mr Monaghan said that included incentivising testing or bringing testing to Aboriginal communities through events. “We need to test more and we need to educate more in our Aboriginal communities with self promotion and general awareness around syphilis and especially congenital syphilis,” he said. “What we need to do is come up with novel initiatives on how we communicate with Aboriginal people in these areas and how we entice them to come in and be tested.” Mr Monaghan said that also meant involving the whole community. “It’s not just the mum. We need to be also thinking about the whole family unit which is the dad, the community and how do we educate them in a more culturally sensitive way that makes them feel comfortable.” “We can’t sit back and expect this to go away, we need to start doing business in a different way because what we’ve been doing in the past is not really working.” He said the federal government needed to support Aboriginal community organisations to get people in communities tested. ‘A sexual health issue for everybody’ Sexual Health Victoria medical director Kathleen McNamee told the ABC the report reflects what she has seen at sexual health clinics. Dr McNamee said syphilis is entering the general population and is no longer isolated to single communities. “In the past we would look at syphilis as really being isolated in a community, particularly men having sex with men but now it’s something that’s spread across the general community,” Dr McNamee said. “It’s a sexual health issue for everybody.” She said the rise in syphilis cases was concerning because people can be infectious over a long period of time and have it without any symptoms. “At least 50 per cent of the ones [cases] we see, they’re just picked up on a blood test, they don’t have any symptoms at all.” The Australian Department of Health said for people who present with symptoms, the first sign of syphilis usually includes sores or ulcers at the site of the infection, usually around the genitals or mouth. Over time, it could develop into rashes, skin lesions, hair loss, muscle and joint aches, and if left untreated can lead to brain infections, dementia, lung and heart failure, blindness and death. Dr McGregor said Australians needed to normalise discussions about sexual health to break down the shame and stigma around the topic. “Condoms are still highly effective at preventing STIs,” she said. “Things like syphilis are entirely treatable with a simple course of antibiotics and congenital syphilis is entirely preventable, assuming women are able to access antenatal care through their pregnancy.” “We need to think more about what can we do now, who do we need to work with, which communities do we partner with to try and improve those testing and treatment rates to drive down infection.” Loading…
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