Impact of Testing Strategies to Combat a Major Syphilis Outbreak Among Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples: A Mathematical Modeling Study.

ABSTRACT:

Background

A syphilis outbreak among Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people (respectfully referred to as Aboriginal) has resulted in almost 4000 notifications by 2020, with several congenital syphilis cases and infant deaths. Outbreak control efforts became coordinated under a National enhanced test and treat response in 2017. We evaluated the impact of these efforts and of expansion of testing interventions on syphilis prevalence.

Methods

We developed an individual-based mathematical model of infectious syphilis transmission among young heterosexual Aboriginal people aged 15-34 years living in and moving between regional and remote areas, and we assessed the impact of existing and hypothetical outbreak control responses on syphilis prevalence.

Results

SUBMITTER: Hui BB 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9035217 | biostudies-literature | 2022 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature