Sexually Transmitted Infections In Australia

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Sexually transmitted infections are spread due to unprotected sexual practice from one person to another. This can occur due to vaginal, anal or oral sex. These infections can cause serious long-term effects if left untreated. The various infections include chlamydia, gonorrhea, syphilis, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and herpes simplex virus (HSV). The rates of these infections are increasing in Australia for the past decade. The incidence and prevalence of these vary according to age group, sex, area and different population groups (Rogstad, 2011). The government provides various policies to control these infections. The World Health organization has provided a Health promotion Ottawa charter which acts as the basis for many public …show more content…
The young generation between the age of 15-29 years is mainly affected and accounted for 82% of the diagnosis for the total population (Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2012). Also, for the gonorrhea notifications have reached a rate of 59 per 100,000 population in 2012. The three quarters (74%) of the total gonorrhea cases diagnosed were the men and women aged between 15-34 years. The rates have more than doubled for men aged 45-49 years between 2001 and 2011, from 25 per 100, 000 to 66 per 100,000. For women of the same age the trend is from 3.4 per 100,000 to 8.6 per 100,000 (Australian Bureau of Statistics, …show more content…
The newly reported cases of HIV infections were 1236 in 2013 and this number was 724 in 1999. In comparison with chlamydia, 70% of the new HIV cases diagnosed in 2013, are transmitted through sexual contact between men. The prevalence of HIV is 8-12% among the gay community, is due to unsafe sexual practices and inadequate rates of testing. The prevalence also differ according to the area, most of the cases diagnosed were in Victoria in 2013 (The Kirby Institute, 2014). The prevalence is 1-2% among people who inject drugs and 1% in the female sex workers. The rates are higher among the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander populations (13%) than the non-Indigenous populations (3%). 43% of cases are from refugee or migrant background people. On average one child is born per year in Australia, infected with HIV through transmission from mother (The Kirby Institute, 2014). The contributing social factors for the above mentioned infections include poverty and socioeconomic status, violence and discrimination, gender norms barriers such as stigma, cultural norms, access to appropriate health services, public policy and law. Behavioural determinants include sexual practices, religious beliefs, contraceptive practices, sexual health literacy, drug and alcohol use. (Lin, Smith & Fawkes,
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