Queensland looking at world-first chlamydia vaccine

Transcript: AMA Queensland President, Dr Maria Boulton, ABC Gold Coast, Drive with Julie Clift, Friday 6 October 2023

Subject: Potential chlamydia vaccine

JULIE CLIFT:   It's the most commonly reported STI among young people in Australia and it's on the rise. But in news today, announced on the Gold Coast, there's hopes to create a world-first vaccine to treat chlamydia. Sanofi, the world's biggest vaccine producer, has partnered with the Queensland Government and Griffith University in a $280 million partnership over five years. Griffith University's vice chancellor, Carolyn Evans, spoke today at the official opening of the latest research site at the university's Gold Coast campus, which will bring global biomedical research and development to the coast.

[INTERVIEW EXCERPT]

JULIE CLIFT:   So just how big an issue is chlamydia and what would a vaccine mean for treatment? Dr Maria Boulton, AMA Queensland President, hello.

DR MARIA BOULTON:   Hi. Thanks for having me.

JULIE CLIFT:   First off, what exactly is chlamydia?

DR MARIA BOULTON:   Chlamydia is a bacteria that is transmitted sexually and it's the most common sexually transmitted infection in Queensland at the moment. Last year we had over 23,400 cases of chlamydia detected in Queensland.

JULIE CLIFT:   How is it contracted?

DR MARIA BOULTON:   It's through sexual contact. It could be oral sex, it could be vaginal sex. The problem is that sometimes the person that you're engaging with may not have any symptoms. They can be asymptomatic, but they can still pass on the infection. That's why it's really important for people to get regular screening. We recommend at least yearly get an STI check but also if you have any symptoms that you present to your doctor.

And those symptoms can be quite varied. They could be discharge from your vagina, they could be pelvic pain, they could be discharge from the penis, or they could be stinging and burning when you urinate. They can mimic bladder infections, which is why it's really essential that if you have any stinging or burning that you present to your GP because then your GP can arrange testing and see exactly what you have so that you can get treatment.

JULIE CLIFT:   And what health problems can result from chlamydia?

DR MARIA BOULTON:   Some people can end up with chronic pelvic pain because chlamydia can infect their pelvis and it can cause scarring and inflammation. It can also lead to issues with fertility. If you get a lot of scarring, sometimes it can block the tube and it can cause fertility issues long-term. It can also increase the risk of preterm labor, so if you're pregnant, that means that the risk of going into labour prematurely is increased. It has a lot of long-term effects and that's why it's really essential that it gets picked up early.

JULIE CLIFT:   I’m with Dr Maria Boulton, AMA Queensland President on ABC Gold Coast, speaking off the back of the news today, announced that on the Gold Coast there's hopes to create a world first vaccine to treat chlamydia. How is chlamydia currently treated, Dr Boulton?

DR MARIA BOULTON:   It's treated with antibiotics. We not only treat the person that comes in who is affected, but we also treat their partners as well because we don't want them to get reinfected It involves a person coming in to see the doctor getting tested and getting treatment.

Like with everything, prevention is better, so if we were able to prevent the disease in the first place, that would be amazing. There are still too many people that don't know that they have chlamydia because they may not have severe symptoms. However, they can spread the disease. So this is welcome news, as is any investment into medical research in Australia. It’s really good to see investment into Australian medical research because there are so many ideas in Australia that just need investment to get happening and hopefully one day we'll have a vaccine for chlamydia. That would be amazing.

JULIE CLIFT:   How might it work if we did have a chlamydia vaccine, Dr Boulton?

DR MARIA BOULTON:    I expect it may be something similar to the HPV vaccine, perhaps a vaccine that may be given to teenagers, hopefully prior to them becoming sexually active similar to the HPV vaccine. But there's a long way between an idea and actually having a vaccine. Time will tell as to how it works and what the rollout looks like. This is where ATAGI -  we all know ATAGI now through COVID – comes in. ATAGI is the regulator. They will let us know who's eligible and when the vaccine should be given.

JULIE CLIFT:   Really good to speak with you this afternoon. Thanks for joining me, Dr Boulton.