New South Wales Health is urging people on the North Coast and throughout New South Wales to have their sexual health check up following a rise in syphilis infections.
The Mid North Coast and Northern Rivers have seen an increase in syphilis notifications since January 2020 – 17 – 22 cases reported in the first six months which was up from the average of 11 in the same period 2015 to 2019.
NSW Health encourages all sexually active people, particularly those with multiple sexual partners or those who participate in unprotected casual sex, to have a test even if they are experiencing no symptoms.
Similar to other sexually transmissible infections such as chlamydia and gonorrhoea, syphilis does not always present symptoms and regular STI checks are needed to prevent passing the infection on and avoiding long-term health concerns.
The number of women of reproductive age catching syphilis has been increasing in the last 5 years.
For more information: https://www.health.nsw.gov.au/Infectious/diseases/Pages/syphilis.aspx
Mid and North Coast Localised Pathways | Syphilis pathway
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