Australia reports decline in HIV, surge in common STIs

Australia’s 2024 sexual health report shows a concerning rise in common sexually transmitted infections (STIs) alongside a decline in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) diagnoses.

Over the past decade, syphilis and gonorrhea cases more than doubled, with 5,866 and 44,210 diagnoses, respectively, in 2024, according to Australia’s 2024 Sexual Health Check-up released Monday by the University of New South Wales’ Kirby Institute.

The new national surveillance data, released at the Australasian HIV&AIDS Conference in Australia’s Adelaide, revealed significant gaps in sexual health testing alongside a sharp increase in syphilis and gonorrhea cases over the past decade.

Syphilis cases among women quadrupled, raising serious concerns about congenital syphilis, which has more than doubled since 2015 and caused 34 infant deaths, disproportionately affecting Indigenous Australians, the report said.

“By raising awareness among Australians, including healthcare professionals, we will help ensure more people get tested and treated for syphilis, so we can stop the spread of the disease,” said Australia’s Chief Medical Officer Michael Kidd.

Chlamydia remains Australia’s most common STI, with 101,742 diagnoses in 2024, particularly affecting people aged 20-29. Despite rising STI rates, only 16 percent of Australians aged 16-49 have ever been tested for an STI, statistics show.

According to the report, HIV diagnoses declined by 27 percent over the past decade to 757 cases in 2024. However, a slight increase in recent years highlighted the need to sustain efforts towards Australia’s virtual elimination goal by 2030.

Almost one-third of HIV diagnoses in 2024 were late, meaning patients may have lived with HIV for at least four years without knowing, highlighting the urgent need for more accessible testing, including self-testing, it added.

Source: Xinhua

- Agencies