STI’s Surge in Australia, Concerns for Health and Infant Mortality: Report

Sexually Transmitted Infections (STI) diagnoses have spiked in Australia, leading to a “concerning” health crisis and infant death, according to a new report.   Syphilis cases have more than tripled (up 351 percent) and gonorrhea cases have doubled (up 120 percent) in the last decade.  At the same time, the number of diagnosed females with syphilis has surged sixfold (569 percent). Epidemiologist and report leader Skye McGregor said the increase in syphilis among women is worrying because if left untreated during pregnancy, it can potentially result in miscarriage, stillbirth, or congenital syphilis, where the infection is passed to unborn children. “Congenital syphilis is an extremely serious condition for infants that can result in significant lifelong health impacts, and in the most severe cases can be fatal,” she said, noting 18 of 69 cases of congenital syphilis resulted in an infant’s death in the last seven years....