Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2007. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
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Australian Associated Press (12.18.07) - Wednesday, December 19, 2007
Tara Ravens
In the first six months of 2007, 41 children under age 10 were diagnosed with gonorrhea, 41 with chlamydia, five with syphilis, and 40 with trichomoniasis. Among them, a child under age four presented with gonorrhea and another in the same age group with chlamydia.
Aboriginal people in the territory are also disproportionately affected by STDs, the health department said. More than 800 cases of gonorrhea were reported in indigenous populations, compared with 53 cases in non-indigenous groups. For the six- month period, Aboriginals accounted for 66 percent of all chlamydia cases and 92 percent of syphilis cases.
"It's a huge surprise that there is such a significant increase in [STDs] in indigenous people, it is terrifying," said Peter Beaumont, president of the Northern Territory Australian Medical Association.
Beaumont noted the figures come just after the Howard government's emergency intervention to combat child sex abuse in the territory's Aboriginal communities. Those initiatives, announced in June, emanated from the release of a report that found evidence of child sex abuse in all 45 communities studied.
"Pat Anderson and Rex Wild's report. shows quite clearly that sexual misdemeanors against children and babies is rife in indigenous communities," said Beaumont, adding that the territory must improve sexual health education among Aboriginal populations. "The education process has to start a lot younger and people need to be reminded that unsafe sex is very unsafe."
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