Surge in STIs on Gold Coast leads to testing call

Party-goers are being urged to get tested for sexually transmissible infections after a surge in cases on the Gold Coast. FULL DETAILS

HEALTH authorities are urging partygoers to get tested for sexually transmissible infections (STIs) after a pre-Christmas surge in cases on the Gold Coast.

Instances of gonorrhoea are at a record high in the city, with 952 cases recorded in the year to December 18 – well up on the 732 cases at the same time the previous year.

Instances of chlamydia were also up, with 3097 cases recorded, while 129 people were found to be infectious with syphilis.

Sexual health expert Dr Darren Russell said it was better to get tested sooner rather than later.

“There has never been a better time to get tested for an STI than after Christmas and end-of-year parties,” said Dr Russell, Cairns and Hinterland Hospital and Health Service director of sexual health services.

“Don’t feel uncomfortable, awkward, or embarrassed asking for an STI test with a Queensland Health clinician – it is literally the job of our health professionals and completely confidential.

“Plus, you certainly won’t be the first – or last – person who has walked through our doors asking to be tested.

“If you’re having vaginal, anal, or oral sex, it is recommended that you get checked at least once each year. The sooner you find out if you have an STI, the sooner you can get the care that you need.”

Dr Darren Russell. Picture: Brian Cassey.

Queensland Health said there was “particular concern” about increasing notifications of syphilis in women of reproductive age. The disease can be passed on to unborn babies and has been blamed for the stillbirth or death after birth of 13 children in Queensland since 2001.

The disease can also cause longer-term health complications for babies including organ, nerve and brain damage.

Dr Russell said it was “critical” to test for syphilis in pregnancy so the infection could be treated before the baby was born.

“It is critical to have a syphilis test in the first 12 weeks of pregnancy – or ideally, before falling pregnant – as untreated syphilis can be passed on to an unborn baby several years after a person was first infected,” he said.

“But the good news is – syphilis is treatable, and prompt treatment in pregnancy is safe and effective in treating the mother and preventing complications.

“The earlier the infection is treated, the lower the risk is to the baby.”

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