Two infections, up over half

Kirby Institute data recorded 42,393 gonorrhoea notifications and 5,986 infectious syphilis notifications in Australia in 2025. Over ten years that is a 57% and 56% rise.

Curable if caught early

Both are bacterial infections that can cause serious complications when left untreated. Both are also curable once detected, which makes testing the whole ballgame.

Men are most cases

Men made up 73% of gonorrhoea notifications and 78% of syphilis notifications last year, with much of the transmission occurring through male-to-male contact among gay and bisexual men.

The jump among women

Syphilis notification rates rose 167% among women against 39% among men, which experts read as a clear increase in heterosexual transmission.

“a concerning increase in syphilis among women”

Babies are paying for it

Syphilis in pregnancy can cause miscarriage, stillbirth and infant death. Over the same decade there were 113 congenital syphilis cases and 40 of those infants died.

“A really terrible outcome, which is entirely preventable with early testing and treatment during pregnancy”

A gap that keeps widening

Indigenous Australians are diagnosed with gonorrhoea at more than four times the rate of non-Indigenous people, and syphilis at more than six times. About half of congenital cases were Indigenous infants.

Testing beats hoping

Epidemiologist Skye McGregor wants pre-Covid screening habits back, plus culturally safe services in regional and remote areas. Condoms matter, but knowing your status is what stops onward spread.

“one infection then risks a repeat infection”