Ongoing efforts to tackle syphilis in NT desert communities, as outbreak continues

ABC NEWS (Australia)

Syphilis is continuing to spread in remote Indigenous communities across Australia. The sexually transmitted disease was almost eradicated, until an outbreak began in 2011.

Transcript

00:00In remote Alice Springs, two men hitting the road for some tough conversations.

00:07Is this his mum's house? I'm not sure.

00:11As syphilis continues to spread in Central Australia,

00:14the local Indigenous Health Service is working to track down known cases

00:19and provide vital education and treatment.

00:22A lot of men don't really understand STIs or sexual health itself.

00:29So give them education so they can learn and understand it.

00:34Syphilis was almost eradicated in Australia

00:37until a 2011 outbreak in Queensland spread to the NT,

00:41where at its peak in 2018,

00:43the per capita rate was more than five times higher than the other states.

00:48Yeah, the need is quite high and we're still seeing numbers.

00:51It's not dropping.

00:53Syphilis can be cured with a simple penicillin injection,

00:56but early symptoms often go unnoticed,

00:59and Shane keeps many from seeking testing.

01:02No one really wants to talk about sex, but we all do it,

01:06so we have to try and get past that stigma.

01:11Untreated syphilis can significantly impact several organ systems,

01:15and there have been 30 congenital syphilis deaths nationwide since 2016.

01:21Every death is preventable and it's tragic.

01:24The federal government has pledged about $126 million in this year's budget

01:29to help tackle the spread of STIs,

01:32including funding for point-of-care testing.

01:35But many local health leaders say remote regions like Alice Springs

01:39lack adequate staffing to deliver this important preventative health care.

01:44Although we've got funding for primary health care,

01:46we've got a workforce crisis.

01:48That's our biggest problem now.

01:49In the meantime, these men hope they can create change,

01:52one conversation at a time.

Category

Transcript

Recommended