Journal article
Estimating the syphilis epidemic among gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men in Australia following changes in HIV care and prevention
AL Wilkinson, N Scott, T Tidhar, P Luong, C El-Hayek, DP Wilson, CK Fairley, L Zhang, D Leslie, N Roth, BK Tee, M Hellard, M Stoove
Sexual Health | CSIRO PUBLISHING | Published : 2019
DOI: 10.1071/SH18215
Abstract
Background: Syphilis control remains a challenge in many high-income countries, including Australia, where diagnoses are concentrated among gay, bisexual men and other men who have sex with men (GBM). The aim of this study is to project the syphilis epidemic among GBM under a range of scenarios. Methods: A dynamic coinfection model of HIV and syphilis transmission among GBM in Victoria, Australia, was parametrised to test data from clinics in Melbourne and syphilis case notifications in Victoria. Projected outcomes were new syphilis infections between 2018 and 2025 under seven testing and behaviour change scenarios. Results: Among HIV-negative GBM, the model estimated that increasing syphili..
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Awarded by National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Acknowledgements
This work was supported by The Victorian Department of Health and Human Services through support for surveillance projects within the Burnet Institute. The National Health and Medical Research Council provide funding to Margaret Hellard as a Principal Research Fellow (1112297) and Mark Stoove as a Career Development Fellow (1090445). Dr Nick Scott is supported by funding through the Margaret and Jim Beaver Fellowship. This work was supported by the Victorian Operational Infrastructure Support Program. The authors acknowledge the clinics and laboratories that contribute surveillance data and their patients. The data that support the findings of this study are available from ACCESS and the Victorian Department of Health and Human Services, but restrictions apply to the availability of these data and so are not publicly available. Data are, however, available from the authors upon reasonable request and with permission of ACCESS or Victorian Department of Health and Human Services.