Melbourne is currently grappling with a syphilis ‘epidemic’, but health experts fear another sexually transmitted infection is on the rise – gonorrhoea.
It’s prompted one specialist to say we are living in an “era of STIs”, as experts warn the use of dating apps is increasing the spread.
Melbourne Sexual Health Centre data released this week revealed there had been a 45 per cent increase in notified syphilis cases between 2015 and 2018.
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The explosion of infections had health experts worried enough to say an “epidemic was in place”.
This includes a 220 per cent spike in cases among women.
“The major concern with the rise in syphilis among women of reproductive age is infection during pregnancy and congenital syphilis,” epidemiologist associate professor Eric Chow said.
“We know syphilis can cause major complications during pregnancy and even result in the death of the child, so we’re urging all women at high risk to get screened during their third trimester in addition to the universal screening during the first.”
Most syphilis infections occur in gay or bisexual men.
The latest figures show a 21 per cent rise in infections among men in same-sex relationships in Melbourne.
But there was also a 129 per cent increase in heterosexual men.
Melbourne’s outer western and southeastern suburbs were the worst hit with rising infections across Brimbank, Melton and Casey.
However Dr Chow said it didn’t end there with notified cases of gonorrhoea also rising.
“Globally we are seeing an increase in STIs and gonorrhoea,” he said.
“It’s an era of STIs and it seems COVID-19 isn’t impacting their spread.”
Gonorrhoea is an infection caused by a sexually transmitted bacterium which infects both males and females and usually affects the genitalia, rectum or throat.
Dr Chow said there were international concerns about a rising resistance to the antibiotic drugs prescribed to treat gonorrhoea.
“This is quite concerning because it will make the infection more difficult to treat,” he said.
He said they would now look at monitoring gonorrhoea the same way they have tracked syphilis.
“We will be mapping gonorrhoea cases the same way we have done for syphilis in an effort to further understand the cause and target intervention,” he said.
Deakin University epidemiologist Catherine Bennett said an increase in online dating and casual sex could have fuelled the rise in STIs.
She said people may also be missing early signs of infection.
“People have become less reliant on social events to find partners, and while socialising was restricted over the last 12 months, dating sites haven’t been restricted in the same way – they’ve become a little more important in terms of linking up with others,” she said.
“It’s obviously increasing the chances, the more likelihood to have more casual partners, then all of that contributes to the risk of picking up STIs such as syphilis.”
Doctors were also reporting a twenty-fold increase in people presenting with syphilis-related eye infections in Melbourne.
In the early 2000s the Royal Victorian Eye and Ear Hospital was recording approximately two cases per year of ocular syphilis.
A team of doctors at the hospital in East Melbourne then researched the condition from 2006 to 2019.
In 2018, 17 cases of ocular syphilis were recorded with infections increasing to 21 in 2019, seven of whom were women.
Ophthalmologist Danielle Ong said there were “no signs of it slowing down”.
“When syphilis enters the body it can spread to different organs and can spread to the eye. We call syphilis the great masquerade because it can cause many different eye conditions, such as nerve swelling, spots on the retina and inflammation in the eyes,” she said.
If untreated, ocular syphilis could cause “irreversible damage” such as permanent blindness.
“When interviewing people with ocular syphilis we find the most common symptoms are blurred vision or floaters,” Dr Ong said.
“We strongly recommend to keep up with your regular eye checks and present to an eye care health professional if you notice any changes in your vision.”
If syphilis is left untreated “for a few years”, the bacteria can attack the central nervous system.
Dr Chow said this was known as neurosyphilis.
He said symptoms were a loss of balance, headaches, burning sensations, tremors, and seizures in more severe cases.
Syphilis was eradicated in the city by the 1990s, but Dr Chow said a resurgence in Victoria- particularly among heterosexual individuals – meant prevention messaging should also be targeted towards them.
Syphilis starts with an appearance of sores or ulcers, before developing into a rash.
If untreated, it could eventually cause a brain infection, dementia and blindness.
It can be cured with penicillin, but people may not seek treatment because they do not realise they have been infected, as syphilis is often asymptomatic following signs of the initial infection.
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2021-05-22 13:57:07Z
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