The Gisborne region is "clap capital" of New Zealand, according to latest figures on venereal diseases, with Hawke's Bay not far behind.
Chlamydia and gonorrhoea -- commonly referred to as sexually transmitted infections (STIs) -- are not notifiable, but Environmental Science and Research is contracted by the Health Ministry to compile data from laboratory testing.
Data taken from 40 laboratories between October and December last year recorded confirmed cases of chlamydia and gonorrhoea, by age and sex.
Population-based disease rates were calculated by dividing the total number of positive tests by the populations in different district health boards, and extrapolated to annual rates.
Nelson-Marlborough, Canterbury and South Canterbury DHBs were not included in the survey.
Laboratories in the Auckland region did the most tests (33,798) for chlamydia with 8 percent positive -- meaning 2690 people were exposed to the infection, which can cause pelvic inflammatory disease and infertility in women and sterility in men.
New Zealand's annualised rate of chlamydia per 100,000 population was 804, or 1161 in women and 429 in men. Annualised, Tairawhiti DHB based at Gisborne had 1273 per 100,000 followed by Hawke's Bay DHB, 1180.
Most chlamydia occurred in the 20- to 24-year age group for men (2076 per 100,000) and the 15- to 19-year age group for women (6603 per 100,000 population).
But 31 cases (13 boys and 18 girls) were reported in babies less than one-year-old, most of them in the Auckland, Waitemata and Counties Manukau areas. Babies can acquire the bacteria while being born to an infected mother, and may potentially develop infections in the genitals, lungs, ears, and eyes. The highest percentage of positive tests to gonorrhoea was 4.4 percent in Hawke's Bay.
A total of 505 cases of gonorrhoea were reported from 18 DHBs -- giving a national annualised rate for 100,000 population of 56 (62 for men and 51 for women).
Gonorrhoea can cause pelvic inflammatory disease, infertility and other reproductive problems in women, and inflammation in the genitals of men.
The highest overall annualised rate -- per 100,000 population -- of gonorrhoea was reported for Tairawhiti DHB (314) followed by Hawke's Bay DHB (123).
Over 60 percent of the positive patients were aged 15- to 24-years, with the highest incidence in the 20- to 24-age group for men and the 15- to 19-year age group for women.
No cases were reported for under one year old.
