Australia: Increases in STDs Prompt New Public Awareness Campaign

In response to a rising number of STD cases in the region, New South Wales Health is launching a health campaign targeting young people titled, "Safe Sex. No Regrets." The campaign will advertise on mainstream TV, in buses and public restrooms, and it will employ specific ads for gay, ethnic, and Aboriginal communities. According to NSW Health, between 1999 and 2004 there was a 307 percent increase in chlamydia cases and 213 percent increase in infectious syphilis diagnoses. Cases of HIV rose 11 percent in the past five years, while gonorrhea cases increased by 12 percent. Chlamydia was the fastest growing reportable disease in Australia and has increased in most NSW areas and populations, said Dr. Jeremy McAnulty, NSW Health's communicable diseases director. "Consistent condom use is the best way of protecting you and your sexual partners from sexually transmitted infections," said McAnulty.

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