Chief Medical Officer addresses syphilis as a national health priority
01 Oct 2025
Professor Kidd acknowledged the Kaurna people as the traditional custodians of the land and recognised Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander participants. He also spoke alongside Dr Dawn Casey from NACCHO.
Why syphilis is now a national priority
Declaring a CDINS is rare and is reserved for disease incidents requiring national intervention or public health action. Previous CDINS declarations include COVID-19, Japanese encephalitis, and mpox.
Syphilis case numbers in Australia have been steadily rising, with more than 6,500 infectious syphilis cases in 2023 and almost 6,000 in 2024. In 2025, there have already been over 4,000 notifications. Tragically, 41 cases of congenital syphilis since 2023 have resulted in 18 preventable infant deaths.
Professor Kidd emphasised that untreated syphilis can also severely impact adults, causing blindness, dementia, disability, or death. Between 2014 and 2023, 99 Australians died from non-congenital syphilis, all of which were preventable.
National Syphilis Response Plan
The declaration enables coordinated national efforts and elevates syphilis as a public health priority. The Australian Health Protection Committee has published the National Syphilis Response Plan with 34 priority actions covering testing, treatment, partner notification, prevention, education, workforce support, and data collection. These actions aim to focus resources where they are most needed and ensure evidence-based interventions.
Supporting the health workforce
Health professionals—including GPs, midwives, sexual health clinicians, nurses, obstetricians, and Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Service teams—play a key role in identifying, testing, and treating syphilis. Investments are being made in workforce education, awareness campaigns, and clinical tools, including Doxy-PEP guidelines and decision-making support for clinicians.
Public awareness and prevention
Government-supported campaigns, such as Young Deadly Free, Beforeplay, and Many STIs Are Hidden, aim to raise awareness, particularly among priority populations, in a culturally appropriate and sex-positive way. National guidelines for pregnancy now recommend three syphilis tests during antenatal care to prevent congenital syphilis.
Challenges and collaboration
Professor Kidd noted ongoing challenges, including reaching pregnant people missing antenatal care, encouraging partner testing, engaging heterosexual men, and addressing high rates in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. Success will require continued collaboration among community groups, peak bodies, health professionals, and governments.
Professor Kidd concluded by emphasising that declaring syphilis as a CDINS provides a clear, coordinated path forward to reduce infections and prevent avoidable deaths, and he looked forward to ongoing work with all stakeholders.
Source: Australian Government, Department of Health
