Syphilis, an infection once thought to be consigned to history, has made a comeback in Australia with devastating effects. Rates have soared over the past decade, and health experts are now sounding the alarm. The disease has proven particularly deadly for the very young, with 42 baby deaths reported across the country between 2015 and 2025.
The impact has been felt most heavily in the Northern Territory, where syphilis cases are more than seven times the national rate. In response, rolling workshops are being held to train health workers and slow the spread of the highly infectious disease. Paula, who travelled from South East Arnhem Land for the training, said she sometimes becomes emotional when giving patients their two injections because the treatment is painful, but she always reassures them that it is a treatment that will help.
Part of what makes syphilis so dangerous is that its early signs are easy to miss. If the infection is left untreated, it can turn deadly, and complications can emerge five to 30 years later. Health workers warn that the disease can affect all of the body's organs, reaching the brain to cause strokes and the heart to cause heart attacks, often long after the initial infection went unnoticed.
The bacterium behind the disease passes through the skin barrier during sexual contact and can also be transmitted in utero, with devastating effect on unborn children. That route explains the 42 baby deaths recorded over the decade. Officials stress that the disease is entirely preventable: if a pregnant woman has syphilis, she can be treated so that her baby is no longer at risk.
To bring the outbreak under control, health officials estimate that an additional 30 million dollars is needed. Modelling indicates that infections can be driven down if testing rates reach between 70 and 80 percent of the at-risk population. Authorities say they are confident of success because they have secured the buy-in of the community and of the service providers working on the ground.
Alongside the clinical effort, health experts are taking their message directly to the public, urging people not to feel ashamed and to come forward for testing. They describe getting tested as an easy fix that can spare people serious harm down the road. It is, they say, a simple call to action that could ultimately save lives.