More needs to be done to track and treat sexual partners of people diagnosed with sexually transmitted infections (STIs), according to a Rotorua clinician.
A report in the NZ Herald this week outed Rotorua as the country's "chlamydia capital", with 691 reported cases in the Lakes District Health Board region between July and December last year. That made it the highest rate per capita in New Zealand.
Rotorua sexual health doctor Dr Cate Mills said the finding didn't surprise her. However, she suspected the high rate had a lot to do with the fact a lot of Rotorua young people were getting tested.
Dr Mills said while many were being treated for STIs, including chlamydia (by far the most common), not enough was being done to track and treat all their sexual partners.
"That could make a real difference to numbers," she said, adding patients often went back to untreated partners and got re-infected.