Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and blood-borne viruses are at near-decade highs, according to research from the Kirby Institute at the University of New South Wales.
The institute’s Associate Professor David Wilson believed declining condom use was most likely to blame for the spike in cases.
The annual survey of STIs also revealed hepatitis B and C were killing 1,000 people a year in Australia.
New diagnoses of hepatitis B and C were falling, but the report highlighted a growing problem for those already suffering the condition.
Approximately 200,000 people are living with chronic forms of hepatitis B and C.
The Kirby Institute report found that last year 1,000 people died as a result of liver conditions associated with the viruses.
The number of people dying from the conditions has doubled in the past decade.
Associate Professor Wilson, the report’s lead author, said the situation would only get worse.
“The virus is now starting to catch up with people who were infected 20 or 30 years ago, we are getting a wave of these infections come through and the problem will get worse,” he said.
Associate Professor Wilson said there were treatments for hepatitis B and C, but the Government must act.
“The Australian Government needs to negotiate with pharmaceutical companies around an appropriate price for treatments, so that we can get as many Australian’s as possible into care,” he said.
Syphilis at highest recorded level, but chlamydia rates decline
Syphilis is now at its highest ever recorded level in Australia. In 2013, more than 1,700 people were diagnosed with disease.
Its highest growth has been among gay men, but there has also been higher recorded rates among women.
Chlamydia remains the most reported STI, with more than 82,000 new diagnoses in 2013.
But Associate Professor Wilson said there had been a drop in the disease compared to previous years.
“Although chlamydia rates are still very high, this was the first time in recent history that there was a decline in rates of diagnosis,” he said.
The disease is particularly prevalent among teenagers and young adults, with roughly one in 20 young people now infected.
Gonorrhoea levels continues to increase substantially, with more than 14,000 people being diagnosed with the disease.
The rate of diagnosis of gonorrhoea has increased by 80 per cent over the past five years.
But this may be the result of increased testing for the disease, as a result of change to Medicare rules.
Decline in safe-sex practices
Associate Professor Wilson warned safe-sex practices were declining, particularly among teenagers.
“We are seeing slow trends away from condom use, the decline in condom use is somewhat responsible for the rise in STIs in Australia,” he said
“We are currently in a different era than when the AIDS epidemic emerged and these days we do not have the fear of death due to STIs or AIDS that we did in the past.”
He added that changes were needed to the way safe-sex education was delivered.
“In school programs where condom education takes place, often children consider it to be quite clinical and scientific. It doesn’t real relate to their own experiences of their sexual lives,” he said.
“What we need to see is an integration between what sex is really about for young people, sex is about pleasure, enjoyment and intimacy.
“Clinical scientific discussions about STIs and condoms can be quite distant.”
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