Mak Donna B, Marshall Lewis J
Department of Health Western Australia, (formerly Kimberley Public Health Unit,) Derby, Western Australia.
Commun Dis Intell Q Rep. 2003;27(3):370-2.
The Kimberley region in far-north Western Australia has some of the highest reported incidences of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) in the nation. This report documents the region's incidence rates of gonorrhoea and syphilis from 1997 to 2001 and of chlamydia from 1993 to 2001. Chlamydia rates have been increasing since 1993 when genital chlamydia became a notifiable disease. By contrast, gonorrhoea rates remained stable from 1997 to 2001. Syphilis rates, which plateaued between 1996 and 2000 following a steep decrease in the previous decade, rose in 2001 in association with a regional syphilis outbreak. Factors important in interpreting changes in STI rates over time include the increased accuracy of more recent census data, the introduction of new and more sensitive diagnostic techniques and the influence of health workforce numbers and skills on STI diagnosis.
澳大利亚最西北部的金伯利地区是全国报告性传播感染（STIs）发病率最高的地区之一。本报告记录了该地区1997年至2001年的淋病和梅毒发病率以及1993年至2001年的衣原体发病率。自1993年生殖器衣原体成为法定报告疾病以来，衣原体发病率一直在上升。相比之下，1997年至2001年淋病发病率保持稳定。梅毒发病率在前十年急剧下降后于1996年至2000年趋于平稳，2001年随着该地区梅毒疫情的爆发而上升。随着时间推移，对性传播感染发病率变化进行解释的重要因素包括近期人口普查数据准确性的提高、新的更敏感诊断技术的引入以及卫生人力数量和技能对性传播感染诊断的影响。
