Bloodborne Viral and Sexually Transmitted Infections in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People

This surveillance report, "Bloodborne viral and sexually transmitted infections in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people: surveillance and evaluation report 2011", prepared by the Kirby Institute of the University of New South Wales, provides information on the occurrence of bloodborne viral and sexually transmitted infections (STIs) among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander (ATSI) people in Australia. Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people continue to be overrepresented in STIs and BBV notification data despite limitations related to data quality.
Some points:
* Chlamydia and gonorrhoea continue to be reported at disproportionately high rates among ATSI people
* The elimination of donovanosis from Australia continues - 1 notification in Australia during 2010
* Diagnoses of infectious syphilis remained stable in ATSI communities in 2010
* Remote and very remote ATSI communities continue to experience significantly higher rates of chlamydia, gonorrhoea and infectious syphilis compared with regional and urban centres in Australia
* HIV infection continues to be diagnosed at a similar rate to that in the non‑Indigenous non‑high HIV prevalence country of birth population although there are substantial differences in the distributions of exposure to HIV
* Hepatitis C and B are reported at disproportionately high rates among ATSI communities