Surge in most STIs over the past 10 years

Syphilis and gonorrhoea diagnoses have more than doubled over the past decade, while chlamydia diagnoses remain high and HIV numbers have gone down, according to newly released data.
 
Publishing a report on sexually transmitted infections (STIs) at the Australasian HIV&AIDS Conference in Adelaide this week, the Kirby Institute at UNSW Sydney said there were 5866 syphilis diagnoses last year, which it says represents a doubling in diagnoses over 10 years.
 
Congenital syphilis cases showed a similar growth, causing 34 infant deaths in the same timeframe – part of a trend that recently led syphilis to be declared a Communicable Disease Incident of National Significance by the Chief Medical Officer Professor Michael Kidd.
 
There were also 44,210 gonorrhoea diagnoses in 2024, which again represented double the figure from 10 years ago.
 
Not as fast-growing but still the most widespread STI is chlamydia, which had 101,742 diagnoses in Australia last year, including around 50% among people aged 20 to 29 years.
 
Meanwhile, the 757 HIV diagnoses recorded in 2024 represented a 27% fall over the past 10 years.
 
Chair of RACGP Specific Interests Sexual Health, Dr Sara Whitburn, said the data showing many STIs increasing is part of a consistent pattern from recent years.
 
‘The good news is that this is likely due to an increase in screening and testing, but it is also indicative of an increasing prevalence of a range of STIs in the community, as STIs are occurring across various populations,’ she told newsGP.
 
‘Decreased HIV diagnosis is a positive outcome of PrEP use, access to antiretrovirals, and U=U, demonstrating that prevention, testing, and good access to treatment can effectively decrease STI and blood-borne virus transmission.’
 
Dr Skye McGregor, an epidemiologist at the Kirby Institute and the report’s lead author, said that around 80% of syphilis notifications are among men, but noted there had been a 300% increase in the number of notifications among women over 10 years.
 
‘This has significant implications, particularly in relation to congenital syphilis,’ she said.

According to the data, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people continue to experience higher rates of STIs, which Dr Whitburn said is ‘largely due to the impact of colonisation on health outcomes, health equality, and access to care’.
 
Of the 34 deaths recorded due to congenital syphilis, more than half were among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander infants.
 
Dr Whitburn emphasised the role of general practice in addressing the issue.
 
‘Syphilis remains a public health issue, and GPs play an important role in educating patients about it and offering asymptomatic testing to sexually active individuals, those considering pregnancy, and during antenatal care,’ she said.
 
Meanwhile, HIV diagnoses almost halved among Australian-born people over the past decade, but there was no reduction among people born outside of the country.
 
Scott Harlum, President of the National Association of People with HIV Australia, emphasised the human stories behind the 757 diagnoses this year, and said the figures showed the need for continued investment.
 
‘While numbers of new HIV diagnoses are consistent with a decline over the past decade, we need to do much more if we are to reach virtual elimination of domestic HIV transmissions in Australia by 2030,’ he said.

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gonorrhoea HIV sexually transmitted infections STIs syphilis