RATES of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) have increased in the Hunter, with changes in condom use and international travel likely to be driving the rise, a local sexual health expert says.
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“We are certainly seeing an ongoing rise in syphilis and gonorrhoea,” Hunter New England clinical director of sexual health, Dr Nathan Ryder, said. “There has been a general increase in those STIs – especially in gay men – in the past 10 years, and we think that has probably been driven by decreases in condom use.
“But the other thing driving the increase at the moment is that we are doing a lot more testing. Overall we are seeing more people being tested, and therefore more infections being treated.”
The latest NSW Sexually Transmissible Infections Data Report showed the Mid North Coast and Central Coast local health districts had the largest overall relative increases in the gonorrhoea notification rate since 2016. In Hunter New England, gonorrhoea notifications rose from 260 in 2012, to 395 in 2017. The number of notifications for infectious syphilis rose from 14 in 2012, to 43 in 2017. There were 2938 notifications of chlamydia in the region in 2017.
Dr Ryder said overseas travel, and changes in condom use, were likely to be contributing to the rise in STIs, but the take home message was “routine testing”.
“We are seeing increases in gonorrhoea, particularly in heterosexual females, in the Hunter,” Dr Ryder said.
“It is important, particularly if you’re under 30, to have an annual test, even if you think you’re not at risk.
“STI rates in people under 30 in Hunter New England are high, but most STIs are easily detected on a urine test with their GP, and are easily treatable.”
Australia recorded its lowest level of HIV diagnoses in seven years, according to a new report from the Kirby Institute. The report showed new HIV diagnoses were down 7 per cent in 2017, with 963 notifications.
The reductions were greatest among gay and bisexual men, with a 15 per cent reduction in the past year. But a quarter of all new HIV diagnoses were among heterosexuals, with a 10 per cent increase in the past five years.
Dr Ryder said there were seven cases of HIV in Hunter New England in 2017.
“While the numbers are low overall, heterosexual cases seem to be on the increase,” he said. “The unfortunate downside of infrequent testing is that a heterosexual person who doesn’t think they are at risk may not get diagnosed for many years. If treatment is started early, you would have a normal lifespan. But if you’re not tested and you get sick, you can still have very poor health outcomes.”
“The key message is that HIV can affect anybody, and if you have had unprotected sex with a new partner, or any sexual contact outside Australia, we want people to see their GP for a sexual health check up.”
Professor Rebecca Guy, head of the Kirby Institute’s Surveillance, Evaluation and Research Program, said the figures among heterosexuals were concerning.
“Almost half the diagnoses in this population are late, which means that the person has been living with HIV for four or more years without knowing,” Professor Guy said.
Among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander populations, rates of HIV diagnoses were almost two times higher than the Australian-born non-Indigenous population in 2017, the Kirby Institute report showed.
According to the latest NSW Sexually Transmissible Infections Data Report, cases of gonorrhoea increased by 29 per cent across the state from 2016 to 2017.
Syphilis rates in NSW were 24 per cent higher in 2017 compared to 2016.
Rates of chlamydia had increased by 15 per cent since 2016 for males, and by 4 per cent for females.