Yahoo Lifestyle Chlamydia rates 'skyrocket' in Australia; 500,000 new cases
A couple. Photo: Getty Images
Chlamydia rates in Australian young have 'skyrocketed' with an estimated half a million new cases in 2012
Associate Professor David Wilson from the Kirby Institute for Infection and Immunity in Society will present these latest statistics today at an Australasian sexual health conference in Darwin.
But Professor Wilson, who is responsible for compiling national statistics for sexually transmitted diseases, says only one sixth of this enormous infection rate was registered last year (82,000) and that the majority has gone undiagnosed.
A major barrier to diagnosis is that chlamydia often doesn't show symptoms so many who have it are unaware. Research suggests that 50 percent of men and 70-80 percent of women don't get symptoms at all with a chlamydia infection.
Professor Wilson says it is important that anyone who tests positive is honest with present and past sexual partners. He recommends that all sexually active people are tested for chlamydia and gonorrhoea annually and every time they start a new relationship.
It can be treated with a single dose of antibiotics but left untreated, chlamydia can lead to pelvic inflammatory disease, ectopic pregnancy and infertility.
In women, symptoms may include changes in periods, bleeding or pain during or after sex, pain when urinating, cramping or pain in the lower abdomen, or changes to vaginal discharge. In men, swollen and sore testicles, discharge from the urethra and difficulty and/or pain when urinating.
Gonorrhoea levels have also increased substantially to 13,649 cases in 2012 and syphilis rates are close to the highest levels recorded in Australia, with 1,534 diagnoses in 2012. Most cases are among men who have sex with men.
The message? Always protect yourself with condoms and get tested regularly, even if you have no symptoms.
