Syphilis on the rise across Canada, public health agency warns
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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 14/02/2024 (610 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
The Public Health Agency of Canada issued a warning about syphilis Wednesday.
Cases of the sexually transmitted bacterial infection have more than doubled in recent years, and the number of babies contracting congenital syphilis has increased six-fold since 2018, stated Canada’s chief public health officer Dr. Theresa Tam.
“Sadly, too many individuals and their families across the country are facing the devastating health complications of untreated syphilis. It is our collective responsibility to tackle this issue. Barriers like stigma and discrimination, socio-economic factors such as income disparities and educational gaps, and a lack of culturally safe care are obstructing access to testing and treatment,” the statement reads.
(Dreamstime/TNS)
Manitoba had the highest rate of new syphilis cases compared with other provinces in 2019. There were 1,352 newly diagnosed cases in 2022.
The spread of the infection across western provinces continues to cause congenital cases, and Manitoba’s screening protocol states testing must occur three times during each pregnancy, according to a 2022 report on the surge of syphilis cases.