Tinder and Grindr will be used as part of a fresh push to encourage Aussies to get their “fun parts” tested amid a concerning rise in sexually transmitted diseases.
Health Minister Mark Butler will launch Beforeplay campaign will be launched on Sunday in a bid to encourage young Aussies to take their sexual health seriously.
“One in 6 Australians will get an STI and the rates of infection are rising, particularly among young people aged 20 to 34,” he said.
“The Beforeplay campaign will help reduce the stigma around STI testing and prevention.”
The nine-week campaign will be rolled out on social media, dating apps, around universities and in bars and clubs.
It encourages Aussies to wear protection and book a check-up to do the “test part before the best part” or “checking your fun parts before the fun starts”.
Materials will also be adapted and translated for multicultural and First Nations audiences.
The number of cases of infectious syphilis has more than doubled over the past five years, with more than 6000 Aussies testing positive in the past 12 months alone.
Data published by the Kirby Institute in December found there were 93,000 cases of chlamydia and just under 33,000 diagnoses of gonorrhoea in 2022.
The figures were all up from the previous year despite the decline in the number of Medicare-rebated tests among both men and women.
Health authorities are particularly concerned about the increase in syphilis which is easily treatable when detected.
If untreated in pregnancy, infection can lead to miscarriage or stillbirth, or congenital syphilis, which is when the infection is transmitted to unborn children.
One in six Australians will get an STI in their lifetime.
Mr Butler said it had been almost 15 years since the Australian government last ran a major STI awareness campaign.
“This is an important health issue, not a taboo topic,” he said.
Tests can often be as simple as a urine or blood test and can be done at your GP, local sexual health clinic, or community health centre.