STIs on the rise

Chlamydia was the most commonly reported sexually transmitted infection in Australia last year with 51,867 reported cases, a seven per cent increase on the previous year.
According to NSW Health’s Communicable Diseases Branch, between April 2006 and April 2007 there were 2140 notifications of chlamydia across the Northern Network of South Eastern Sydney Illawarra Health.
About 65 per cent of these cases were among those aged 15 to 29 years.
Chlamydia can affect young men and women and often has no symptoms. If left untreated, it can lead to pelvic infection and infertility.
Sydney Hospital sexual health specialist Dr Chris Bourne said young people are having sex earlier and with more partners, both short and long term, which can ultimately increase their risk of infection.
“Young people know about safe sex and condoms, but for many reasons are not consistent in their use,” he said. “Often the sexual health priority is preventing pregnancy, so shifting one’s thinking to consider STI prevention is part of the challenge. Using condoms and lube with regular STI testing would need to become the norm.”
Dr Bourne said increasing numbers of young people claim “they just know” their partner does not have an STI.
HIV rates in Australia have increased by almost 50 per cent in the past eight years.
Last year, there were 27,331 diagnoses of HIV infection, 10,230 diagnoses of AIDS and 6,767 AIDS-related deaths, according to the HIV/AIDS, Hepatitis and Sexually Transmissible Infections Annual Surveillance Report.
The report also found that 60 per cent of heterosexual HIV cases could be traced to people from countries with a high prevalence of HIV.