The latest report on the number of sexually transmitted infections has set of alarm bells as it shows the number of diagnoses of gonorrhoea, chlamydia and syphilis have risen significantly over the last decade.
Chlamydia, gonorrhoea and syphilis are increasing in Australia. Over the past 10 years, diagnoses of gonorrhoea have doubled, and diagnoses of syphilis have tripled. Chlamydia is increasing too (up 12 per cent since 2013), and low rates of testing brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic have researchers concerned that the upward trends are likely to continue. There are particular concerns around a rise in the cases of congenital syphilis.
Researchers at The Kirby Institute say the key message of the report is that STIs are very much out there. It is important to create awareness about this, and to encourage testing, especially as we head into the holiday season. Some groups are experiencing these increases at higher rate than others, in particular Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, and gay and bisexual men.
Professor Andrew Grulich says changes in HIV prevention are clearly having an effect on the level of other STI’s in Australia.
“It is likely that these increases [among gay and bisexual men] can be explained by more comprehensive screening and greater availability and awareness of highly effective HIV prevention strategies and in turn a decrease in the use of condoms and greater sexual mixing.”
“But we know how effective health promotion can be in this community, as we have seen with the huge reductions in HIV. We need to carry over these learnings to STIs, to drive down infections in this group.”
The report shows that 71 per cent of gonorrhoea diagnoses were estimated to be among gay and bisexual men, while 82 per cent of syphilis diagnoses were in the same cohort.
Most chlamydia cases in Australia are undiagnosed and untreated, reinforcing the need for increased testing. Chlamydia was the most frequently notified STI in Australia in 2022, with more than two in three diagnoses occurring in young people aged 15 to 29 years.
In 2022 the Gay Community Periodic Survey showed that 42 per cent of participating gay and bisexual men completed comprehensive STI testing in the previous 12 months. Comprehensive testing, testing that collects samples four samples is the recommended process for STI checks in gay and bisexual men.
In Perth you can get a sexual health check up at the M-Clinic or from a GP.
Graeme Watson
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