More than 1000 Melbourne kids have been told to get STI tests. Here's what happens next
Medical experts have also advised that the majority of STIs are treatable with a course of antibiotics.
Victoria Police revealed on Tuesday that 26-year-old Point Cook man, Joshua Dale Brown, was arrested and charged in May with more than 70 offences, including child rape.
Brown worked at several childcare centres across Melbourne and at one centre in Geelong. His alleged victims were between five months and two years old, with eight confirmed victims from one centre in Point Cook.
What will the children be tested for?
The Department of Health has been in contact with affected families and is recommending that about 1200 children undergo free testing for infectious diseases following the allegations.
Testing is expected to involve a full STI screening as a matter of precaution. In Victoria, full STI screenings can involve swabs of the mouth, vagina and anus – as well as urine tests and having blood drawn. This is because some STIs are diagnosed via the presence of bacteria in fluids such as saliva, while others are detected via antibodies in the blood.
A government source, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said authorities wanted to rule out the possibility that the children had been exposed to infections such as gonorrhea and syphilis given the spike in Victorian cases over the last decade.
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