Home > For Consumers > Conditions and Diseases > Communicable Diseases Information > Blood borne viruses and sexually transmissible infections

Blood borne viruses and sexually transmissible infections

Data on Blood Borne Viruses and Sexually Transmissible Infections

Statistical information is provided by national research centres funded by the department to provide epidemiological data and undertake HIV clinical and social research, HIV and hepatitis virology research, and research focusing on sex, health and society.

Epidemiological data for this web page is provided from:

The Kirby Institute for infection and immunity in society (formally the National Centre in HIV Epidemiology and Clinical Research). HIV, viral hepatitis and sexually transmissible infections in Australia Annual Surveillance Report 2012; and Bloodborne viral and sexually transmitted infections in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People: Surveillance and Evaluation Report 2012. Data is drawn from a number of sources including the National Notifiable Diseases Surveillance System.

The latest overall Australian figures show:

• The number of new HIV diagnoses in Australia in 2011 was 1,137, an increase of 8.2 per cent over the number in 2010. The annual number of new HIV diagnoses has gradually increased over the past 12 years, from 719 diagnoses in 1999.
• Chlamydia was the most frequently reported notifiable condition in Australia in 2011 with 80,800 diagnoses.
• The rate of diagnosis of gonorrhoea increased by 45 per cent, from 36.2 per 100,000 population in 2007 to 52.5 per 100,000 in 2011.
• Following the introduction of vaccination against human papilloma virus, the proportion of young women aged 21 years or younger who were diagnosed with genital warts decreased from 12.1 per cent in 2007 to 2.2 per cent in 2011.
• The rate of diagnosis of hepatitis B infection in Australia in 2007 – 2011 was stable at around 32 per 100,000 population. The rate of diagnosis of newly acquired hepatitis B infection declined in Australia from 1.4 to 0.8 per 100,000 population between 2007 and 2011.
• An estimated 209,000 people were living in Australia in 2011 with hepatitis B infection.
• The per capita rate of diagnosis of hepatitis C infection has declined from 57.5 per 100,000 in 2007 to 45.7 per 100,000 population in 2011.
• An estimated 226,700 people were living in Australia with chronic hepatitis C infection.

The per capita rate of diagnosis of hepatitis C infection declined by 20 per cent over the past five years to 45.7 cases per 100,000 population in 2011. Based on reported cases, hepatitis C transmission continued to occur predominately among people with a recent history of injecting drug use. Similarly, reported cases of hepatitis B transmission were also attributed predominately to injecting drug use.

Chlamydia was the most frequently reported notifiable condition in Australia in 2011 with 80,800 reported diagnoses. The population rate of diagnosis of chlamydia in 2011 was 345 per 100,000 population, a 7 per cent increase over the rate in 2010, continuing the increase seen over the past ten years. The increase is thought to be associated with increase in testing, but chlamydia continues to affect young people having unprotected sex.

The rate of diagnosis of infectious syphilis declined from 6.8 per 100,000 in 2007 to 5.0 per 100,000 in 2010 and increased to 5.7 per 100,000 in 2011. In recent years, there has been a known epidemic of infectious syphilis in men who have sex with men.

Substantially higher rates of diagnosis of chlamydia, gonorrhoea and infectious syphilis were recorded among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, particularly among persons aged 15-29 years, compared with non-Indigenous people.