Syphilis is a disease which can be transmitted through unprotected sexual activity, including oral sexual activity.

Untreated syphilis is serious, and the consequences for pregnant women frequently disastrous. It can lead to loss of pregnancy, still-births and birth disabled children. 

The NT’s chief health officer Hugh Heggie said syphilis can have a serious long-term impact on people's health and wellbeing.

Anyone who has unprotected sex is at risk and the disease is not exclusive to any one group of people.

“The current prevalence of syphilis in the NT has been described as ‘an epidemic’,” Dr Heggie said. 

“That is not an exaggeration, the rates are high, and the Katherine region is among the highly affected areas.

“Prevention is very straightforward:  Do not engage in unprotected sex. Use condoms. Be safe –and visit your local Clinic 34 or healthcare provider and get tested – keep healthy.”

STI’s are the most common infectious disease in Katherine. 

In the first quarter of 2017 there were 255 notifications of STDs in Katherine. 

That is about six times the amount of flu in the same period.

Dr Heggie said our incidence of sexually transmitted disease is high for our population size. 

“The collective STI notifications, chlamydia, gonococcal, syphilis and trichomoniasis, are the most prevalent infectious diseases reported in Katherine,” he said. 

STI’s can be "silent" diseases which often don't show symptoms. 

“It is true that people with an STI may be asymptomatic, and so it is always important to have regular tests done if people have multiple partners or casual partners,” Dr Heggie said.

“Cases go unreported if people with an STI are not tested. Testing is very important, as is taking care of sexual partners.  

“This includes not just using protection, but also alerting sexual partners if you are treated for an STI so the partner has the opportunity to be treated, or tested and managed.”

Dr Heggie said sexual health checks are available at all primary health care organisations in the NT, and in addition, specialised services are available through Clinic 34. 

Clinic 34 offers free confidential sexual health checks and you do not need a Medicare Card. It is located on the Katherine District Hospital grounds. 

“We advise all sexually active people who have activity outside of known relationships to have at least an annual sexual health check, but more frequently if they have multiple partners or engage in sexual activity through casual anonymous encounters,” Dr Heggie said. 

“We can all work towards having straightforward, candid conversations about STI in the community.”

Related:

Dr Heggie said stigma and fear can sometimes stop people from getting themselves checked

“Yes that can happen, but it's self-defeating.  If a person has an STI, then they need treatment, and the best pathway to treatment is through testing.

“Healthcare providers deal with confidential patient information every day.  They take seriously the need for confidentiality and are skilled in engaging in thoughtful, supportive conversations with patients because they want to provide them with appropriate assessments, advice and management.

This is the most commonly reported infectious disease in Katherine.

In the first quarter of the year there were 123 notifications of Trichomoniasis in Katherine. 

Almost three times the amount of people reported having this STI than the flu.

About 70 per cent of infected people do not have any signs or symptoms.

When trichomoniasis does cause symptoms, they can range from mild irritation to severe inflammation.

Some people with symptoms get them within 5 to 28 days after being infected. Others do not develop symptoms until much later. Symptoms can come and go.

Not having any symptoms doesn’t mean you or your partner do not have the infection.

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The verdict

Trichomoniasis can be cured with antibiotics. Without treatment, the infection can last for months or even years.

The Northern Territory has seen the largest increase in syphilis rates in the country.

The number of reported syphilis cases has jumped more than 16 times from just 14 cases in 2012 to 229 in 2016.

You can get syphilis by direct contact with a syphilis sore during intercourse. 

The four stages of syphilis have different symptoms.

Primary stage: One of the first signs is a painless open sore often found in the mouth, the anus, or the genital area. They may also be found wherever the bacteria entered the body.

Secondary stage: A skin rash and other symptoms may show up 2 to 12 weeks after a person is infected. At this stage, it is very easy to spread the infection through contact with the mouth, the anus, the genitals, or any area where there is a skin rash.

Latent stage: After the rash clears, a person may have a period with no symptoms. This is often called the "hidden stage." Even though symptoms go away, the bacteria that cause syphilis are still in the body and begin to damage the internal organs. 

Late (tertiary) stage: If syphilis is not found and treated in the early stages, it can cause other serious health problems. These can include blindness, problems with the nervous system and the heart, and mental disorders. It can also cause death.

The verdict

Primary and secondary syphilis are easy to treat with antibiotics. 

50 people in Katherine were reported to have gonnococcal infection in the first quarter of 2017. 

It was 12 times more common than chicken pox reports. 

Over time, the bacteria that causes gonorrhea can spread to the bloodstream and other parts of the body. This can lead to a serious medical condition known as systemic gonococcal infection or disseminated gonococcal infection.

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The verdict

It’s more likely that you’ll make a full recovery from gonorrhea or DGI if you start treatment quickly. Treatment for gonorrhea and DGI typically includes the use of antibiotics.

Chlamydia is an STI that doesn’t always show symptoms. It’s actually the most commonly reported STI in young people in Australia. 

If untreated it can lead to infertility in women.

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