By The Canadian Press (With files from Shaun Penner)

Syphilis Outbreak

Alberta Health declares syphilis outbreak; North Zone sees big spike

Jul 16, 2019 | 5:58 PM

Alberta health officials are declaring a province-wide outbreak of syphilis after rates of the sexually transmitted infection increased last year to levels not seen since 1948.

Alberta Health Services says a total of 1,536 cases of infectious syphilis were reported in 2018 compared with 161 in 2014, which is almost a tenfold increase.

The North Zone has been hit particularily hard by this, as 208 new cases of infectious syphilis were reported, an increase of 324.5 per cent from 2017. That sets a rate of 43.5 cases per 100,000 in the area that encompasses Grande Prairie.

Dr. Deena Hinshaw, Alberta’s chief medical officer, says syphilis rates jumped 187 per cent during that same time province-wide.

She adds Alberta Health Services is expecting higher numbers for this year.

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Hinshaw says the province has seen similar rates of congenital syphilis in which the infection is spread from a mother to her unborn child.

She says a provincial outbreak co-ordination committee is to be set up on how to increase testing for sexually transmitted diseases, promote public awareness and reduce the overall number of syphilis cases in Alberta.

Hinshaw says she can’t comment on how Alberta compares with the rest of the country, because other jurisdictions have not released recent syphilis figures.

In the meantime, Hinshaw is encouraging all citizens to get tested for, and protect themselves, from the disease.

“We need to emphasize for all Albertans: Sexually Transmitted Infections are a risk to anyone who is sexually active, particularly people who have new sex partners and are not using protection. I encourage anyone who is sexually active to get tested regularly. Anyone in Alberta can access STI testing and treatment for free.”