Put syphilis back on your radar: The national push to curb the spread and impact of syphilis in the community
ASHM Health (formerly known as the Australasian Society for HIV Medicine) has launched a national campaign to curb the sharp rise in syphilis cases across Australia. Primary healthcare professionals are being urged to stay alert for symptoms of syphilis amongst patients, and are reminded to test early and often to reduce serious impacts of the disease if left untreated, including congenital syphilis and infant death.
The national ‘Stop Syphilis’ campaign provides clinical resources to assist healthcare providers and a practical conversation guide designed to support patient engagement.
Syphilis declared a Communicable Disease Incident of National Significance
Cases of syphilis have nearly doubled in the last decade according to the Australian Centre for Disease Control (CDC), despite its spread being preventable through proactive testing and early treatment. In August 2025, in response to the growing number of syphilis cases, with some leading to infant death, syphilis was declared a Communicable Disease Incident of National Significance (CDINS) by Australia's Chief Medical Officer, Professor Michael Kidd AO.
In Queensland, an increase in syphilis notifications has prompted support for a coordinated and sustained primary and tertiary healthcare response.
Critical to the public health push is the message that syphilis cases are rising across all population groups, with approximately 50% of cases being asymptomatic. In response, GPs and primary healthcare professionals are being called upon to normalise conversations about sexual health and testing with patients, to increase the early detection and treatment of syphilis in the community.
GPs are urged to help stop the spread of syphilis through early testing and treatment
GPs and primary care teams are on the frontline of prevention and are uniquely positioned to make a meaningful impact in curbing the spread of syphilis in the community.
ASHM recommends routine syphilis testing as part of standard preventive healthcare, particularly for patients presenting for sexual health checks and for patients who are at a greater risk of getting syphilis.
Local general practitioners (GPs), nurses, and allied health professionals are encouraged to:
integrate routine syphilis testing into everyday clinical practice
use the campaign’s conversation guide to support patient discussions
recognise possible signs and symptoms of syphilis
share the national campaign materials within their practices and networks.
Helpful links
Further information and resources for healthcare professionals:
Visit the ASHM Stop Syphilis website.
For primary care assessment and management of syphilis, visit Brisbane South HealthPathways.
For culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) patients, find information on syphilis in Arabic, Chinese, Filipino, Japanese, Korean, Spanish, Thai, or Vietnamese at the StaySTIFree website. Other translated resources about STIs are available from the Ethnic Communities Council of Queensland.