Syphilis outbreak has spread into SA Indigenous communities

The state’s top health official has issued a dire warning over an “appalling”outbreak of the potentially fatal disease syphilis and dangers to SA’s marginalised people.

There is an “appalling” outbreak of potentially fatal syphilis is SA’s Indigenous communities because they have “no visibility” in Adelaide, chief public health officer Professor Nicola Spurrier says.

Giving evidence this week to state parliament about the health dangers to “marginalised” people, Prof Spurrier said the outbreak had spread to non-Indigenous people.

“It (syphilis) spread from northern Australia into South Australia, but it really is across the whole country now,’’ she said. “We have had two cases of congenital syphilis (passed on to babies at birth) in South Australia, which really is appalling.”

Where the evolving syphilis outbreak began and how it’s grown.

In the first five months of 2021, SA Health has documented 102 suspected cases, likely to eclipse last year’s total of 221 suspected. None were recorded between 1999 and 2015.

SA Health data shows last year three babies were born with the normally sexually transmitted disease, in their cases passed on from their mothers.

Prof Spurrier blamed a reduction in the screening programs for sexually transmitted infections in North Queensland and cuts to health promotion.

“It just serves as an example of when we marginalise and we don’t have visibility over

everybody in our community,’’ she said.

The outbreak has reached metropolitan Adelaide, but can be traced to the Far North, Eyre and Western regions of South Australia, an SA Health spokeswoman said.

SA Syphilis Outbreak Working Group is battling the disease.

The spokeswoman said there were immediate efforts to contain the outbreak, but also long-term education campaigns to improve the sexual health of populations in areas affected by the outbreak.

SA chief public health officer Professor Nicola Spurrier at a parliamentary committee meeting. Picture: AAP / David Mariuz

Prof Spurrier said: “What this shows to me is that if we take our resources away and we are not able to support everyone in our community, particularly vulnerable communities – and in this case a group of people who have no visibility in our community – then not only are they impacted but we have a risk of this absolutely preventable disease spreading across the whole of the Australian community”.

Greens MLC Tammy Franks said she would ask SA health to provide more information on the outbreak.

Nationally the outbreak has recorded more than 3000 cases, and of the sixteen congenital syphilis cases, seven infants are reported to have died from the condition.

The Australian Government committed $21.2m from 2017 to this year to fight the problem.