Aborigines Have Higher STD Rates

The rates of chlamydia and gonorrhea diagnoses among the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population last year were substantially higher than among Australia’s non-indigenous population, according to a Kirby Institute surveillance report released today.

The chlamydia infection rate for Aborigines was more than three times that of other Australians, the institute said. Among Aborigines and Torres Strait Islanders living outside Australian Capital Territory and New South Wales, the gonorrhea rate, 804 diagnoses per 100,000 people in 2010, was almost 27 times higher than the rate of 30 per 100,000 for the non-indigenous population. The rate of infectious syphilis was five times higher among Aborigines than among other Australians.

Aborigines, who account for 2.3 percent of Australia’s population, suffer numerous health disparities linked to poverty. The population is also far younger than the average age in Australia, said James Ward, an Aborigine who heads the institute’s indigenous health program. STD rates were worst among Aborigines ages 16-19 and in remote Outback communities. Many Aborigines also lack STD awareness, he said, as health workers might focus on other concerns seen as more urgent.

The HIV diagnosis rate among Aborigines, 4.2 per 100,000 population in 2006-10, was only slightly higher than the non-indigenous rate of 4.1 per 100,000.

The Friends of AIDS Foundation is dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for HIV positive individuals and empowering people to make healthy choices to prevent the spread of the HIV virus. To learn more about The Friends of AIDS Foundation, please visit: http://www.friendsofaids.org.

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