A spike in syphilis circumstances, particularly amongst younger Australian girls, has well being specialists very fearful over the an infection’s potential impression on pregnancies.
In 2021, in line with information, there have been 86,916 diagnoses of chlamydia, 26,577 gonorrhoea circumstances and 5570 recorded infections of syphilis.
Chlamydia and gonorrhoea diagnoses had been down nationally – however the variety of Australians examined additionally dipped, 14 per cent down from pre-pandemic ranges.
“Prior to the pandemic we were seeing increases in chlamydia and gonorrhoea, but in 2021 we recorded a small decline,” Dr Skye McGregor, one of many report’s authors, stated.
“We believe this reduction is a consequence of both reduced testing and reduced sexual activity with new or casual partners.
On the other hand, McGregor said, syphilis was steadily increasing among women of reproductive age, gay and bisexual men and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
“This displays sustained and ongoing transmission throughout Australia, which is extraordinarily regarding.”
According to the report’s modelling, most STIs circulating Australia remain undiagnosed.
More than one in 25 young people aged between 15-29 had chlamydia last year but less than a third of those young people were diagnosed.
Syphilis diagnoses have been increasing since 2011, initially with outbreaks among gay and bisexual men in cities and among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in regional and remote areas of central, northern, and western Australia.
The report revealed a dramatic increase in syphilis among women of reproductive age.
There was an eight-fold rise in non-Indigenous women, while Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women recorded a four-fold escalation over the ten-year reporting period.
“While the numbers amongst girls in cities are nonetheless comparatively small, the upward development on this group during the last 10 years has been substantial,” McGregor said.
Congenital syphilis occurs when syphilis is transmitted during pregnancy to an unborn child.
Between 2012 and 2019, diagnoses were low, ranging from zero-eight each year.
In 2020 and 2021 there were 17 and 15 congenital syphilis diagnoses, respectively, representing a considerable increase.
In 2021, 60 per cent of congenital syphilis diagnoses were among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander babies, who make up only approximately five per cent of newborns.
“This is especially worrying,” McGregor said, “as pregnant girls needs to be examined usually for STIs as a part of pre and antenatal well being screening.”
COVID-19 had put additional strains on health service access, she said.
People with chlamydia and gonorrhoea, the most common notifiable STIs, often don’t have any symptoms.
Both STIs can cause serious long-term health concerns, including pelvic inflammatory disease in women and infertility in men and women.
“This is why usually testing, and remedy is essential for STI management,” McGregor said.
There can also be assist at Lifeline (13 11 14) and Beyond Blue (1300 224 636).
