Syphilis

Fact sheet² - Health conditions directory

Syphilis is a highly infectious sexually transmissible infection (STI) caused by the Treponema pallidum bacteria.

There is currently an ongoing infectious syphilis outbreak affecting young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in Queensland, Northern Territory, Western Australia and South Australia. Information is available at the Department of Health, Australian Government website³. This outbreak is occurring within the geographical areas served by the Cairns and Hinterland, North West, Torres and Cape, and Townsville Hospital and Health Services.

There also continues to be an increase in notifications of infectious syphilis across the state among men who have sex with men, young heterosexual non-Indigenous men and women, and transgender people.

Notification

Pathology laboratories

• Notification criteria for pathology laboratories⁵ (PDF, 55kB)

Notification resources

• Australian STI Management Guidelines for use in Primary Care¹⁰ – an online resource for primary care health professionals which provide concise information to support the prevention, testing, diagnosis, management and treatment of STIs.
• Queensland Clinical Guideline: Syphilis in pregnancy¹¹ – Maternity and Neonatal Clinical Guideline

Resources for health professionals

Queensland Syphilis Surveillance Service

The Queensland Syphilis Surveillance Service (QSSS) is a secure, confidential, single state-wide database established to improve the accuracy of syphilis reporting, monitor trends in syphilis notifications and improve the management of individuals affected by syphilis. All laboratory-based positive syphilis test results for Queensland residents are reported to the QSSS.

The QSSS records the history of an individual's pathology results for all tests related to the diagnosis and monitoring of syphilis and any associated treatment. It aims to provide the treating clinician with information about a client's history of syphilis infection to assist in the diagnosis, management, education and treatment.  The QSSS also requests information from diagnosing clinicians to confirm treatment, keep the records complete and inform service providers about risk factors for contracting syphilis.

Phone: 1800 032 238

Email:

• South Queensland - QLD-Syphilis-Surveillance-Service@health.qld.gov.au

• North Queensland - North-Qld-Syphilis-Surveillance-Centre@health.qld.gov.au

• view communicable diseases data for notifiable conditions in Queensland¹² and blood borne viruses and sexually transmissible infections surveillance reports¹³.
• The Kirby Institute usually reports annually on HIV, viral hepatitis and sexually transmissible infections in Australia. The data, including full data tables and charts as well as additional information, can be found on the Kirby Institute's data site¹⁴. Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, data has been compiled into a national summary for 2009-2018¹⁵.