20 Sep (1 day ago)
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A ProMED-mail post
<http://www.promedmail.org>
ProMED-mail is a program of the
International Society for Infectious Diseases
<http://www.isid.org>
Date: Thu 18 Sep 2014
Source: The Sydney Morning Herald [edited]
<http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/
Sexually transmitted diseases are on the rise, and syphilis has hit
record levels. The venereal disease is widely perceived as a relic of
the pre-antibiotic era, but research from UNSW [University in New
South Wales]'s Kirby Institute for Infection and Immunity in Society
shows that more Australians were diagnosed with the disease in 2013
than in any year since recording began.
More than 1760 syphilis notifications were recorded, a 34 per cent
increase since 2009. The rate of diagnosis was highest in people aged
between 20 and 39, and almost all were gay men. Nearly 600 of them
were in NSW [New South Wales].
The Kirby Institute head of surveillance and evaluation, David Wilson,
said that in the 1990s, the disease was almost non-existent. "Most
people do consider syphilis to be a rare and isolated disease, not
really of relevance today, and even 15 years ago that was true,"
Associate Professor Wilson said. "But we've seen a real resurgence,
particularly among gay men and HIV positive gay men."
Historical data indicates that syphilis rates peaked in 1920 but there
was a dramatic decrease after the advent of antibiotics. "What we're
seeing now is the highest rates in recorded history," Associate
Professor Wilson said. "Before penicillin, syphilis would have been
higher than it is now."
The report -- HIV, Viral Hepatitis and Sexually Transmissable
Infections in Australia -- also indicated an increase in notifications
of gonorrhoea with 14 947 notifications in 2013 compared with 13 842
in 2012. There has been an 80 per cent increase in gonorrhoea
notifications in the past 5 years. The most prevalent sexually
transmitted infection was chlamydia, with 82 537 new diagnoses in
2013.
NSW Health data also released this week indicates that chlamydia and
gonorrhoea notifications rose sharply in the 1st quarter of this year
[2014], with 1211 cases of gonorrhoea and 5963 cases of chlamydia.
