STI Surveillance: Annual Report 2007

• Chlamydia trachomatis infection is the most commonly diagnosed STI in New Zealand.

• From 2003 to 2007 the number of chlamydia and gonorrhoea cases diagnosed at SHCs has increased by 19.4% and 55.5%, respectively. Over the same time period clinic visits increased by 11.3%.

• Young people remain at high risk of STIs. In SHCs, 72.0% of chlamydia, 61.6% of gonorrhoea, 43.2% of genital herpes and 62.3% of genital warts cases were aged less than 25 years.

Cautionary note:
This report summarises the epidemiology of STIs, using data from SHCs, FPCs, SYHCs and diagnostic laboratories in New Zealand. The figures presented here may underestimate true infection rates because not all clinics and laboratories participate and STIs diagnosed by a range of other health care providers, such as GPs, are not included in this report. It is also important to note the denominator used in calculating disease rates. Rates based on clinic data use the total number of clinic visits, whether for STIs or other conditions, as the denominator. Rates based on laboratory data use the total ‘usually resident’ population, in the District Health Boards covered by laboratory surveillance, from the 2006 New Zealand Census.