Disturbing STI trend emerges in Australia
Health experts have issued an urgent warning as sexually transmitted infections surge across Australia.
Sexually transmitted infections are surging in Australia, prompting health experts to issue a warning.
There were 5866 diagnoses of syphilis and 44,210 gonorrhoea diagnoses in Australia in 2024 — double what they were a decade ago.
The majority of cases were in men, according to the Kirby Institute at UNSW Sydney.
Meanwhile Australia’s most common STI — chlamydia — saw 101,742 diagnoses in 2024. Around half were in people age 20 to 29.
The shocking revelations were unveiled at the Australasian HIV&AIDS Conference in Adelaide earlier this month.
“Sexually transmissible infections can be passed on to others, but in most instances can be easily treated,” said Dr Skye McGregor, an epidemiologist based at the Kirby Institute and UNSW.
“However, if left untreated sexually transmissible infections can cause serious long-term health concerns like pelvic inflammatory disease and infertility in women.
“Importantly, people who are pregnant can pass on the infection to their babies causing serious harm.”
It also revealed that only 16 per cent of Australians between the ages of 16 and 49 had ever been tested for an STI before — and experts say this, coupled with the fact that many infected people are asymptomatic — is troubling.
Dr McGregor said testing helped reduce the risk of serious outcomes, as well as condom use. For gay and bisexual men, taking doxy PEP — the antibiotic doxycycline — within 72 hours of sex also helped reduce the risk of bacterial STIs like syphilis.
However, one positive trend was there were 757 HIV diagnoses in 2024, a 27 per cent decline in the past decade.
Emma Hewitt-Johnson, certified sex educator at Adulttoymegastore, said the high STI rates suggested many people weren’t using a basic form of protection — condoms.
“Condoms aren’t just about birth control, they’re about protection. STI spikes are inevitable when you’re playing fast and loose with something as important as your sexual health,” Ms Hewitt-Johnson said.
“Reduced sensation and pleasure are the main reasons for people not using condoms. Other reasons included latex allergies, problems with sizing, cost, and problematically, partners refusing to do so.”
But she said in many cases, the claim of “reduced sensation” was actually due to people using condoms incorrectly — and she said people should make sure they were using the right size and consider lubrication.
“Seemingly, these easy fixes could arm two-thirds of non-condom wearers with the confidence to use condoms enjoyably again, and effectively curb the continually rising STI rates,” she said.
“Safer sex practices and regular testing are the easiest way to protect yourself and your partners from STIs. When everyone plays their part, everybody wins – it’s as simple as that.”
Experts have also expressed concern that women may be the most vulnerable when it comes to STI testing, with more than half reporting reluctance to discuss their sexual health with a medical professional.
For women, untreated STIs could lead to pelvic inflammatory disease (PID), chronic pain, infertility, and increased risk of ectopic pregnancy.
Jessica Lloyd, a vulvovaginal specialist naturopath and TouchBio ambassador, said women’s health was poorly understood.
She said many people reported a fear of being judged, misinformation, embarrassment, stigma and shame, but self-testing could be an option to allieviate that fear.
“In my clinic, I often see women who have already been treated by their doctor for an STI, but the infection has left lasting damage,” Ms Lloyd said.
“Chlamydia and gonorrhoea can quietly disrupt the vaginal microbiome for months before they’re diagnosed, and while antibiotics clear the infection, they don’t automatically restore balance. That’s why women can be left struggling with ongoing issues like recurrent thrush or bacterial vaginosis long after the STI itself has gone.
“Early detection through self-testing is a powerful way to avoid this cycle — catching infections sooner, so treatment can begin before long-term damage is done.”
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Originally published as Disturbing STI trend emerges in Australia
