Due to a rapid increase in syphilis rates in 2018, Alberta Health Services has declared a provincial outbreak.

2018 saw 1,536 cases of infectious syphilis reported, almost ten times the amount seen in 2014, with just 161 reported cases.

Several Alberta zones saw dramatic increases, such as the Edmonton zone with 977 cases, an increase of 305.4% compared to 2017.

The Calgary zone, which includes Okotoks, saw a much smaller increase in comparison, with 206 cases, an increase of 7.3% from 2017.

Laura McDougall, Senior Medical Officer of Health with Alberta Health Services says the Calgary zone's lower figure doesn't mean there's no need for action.

"When Alberta Health declared the outbreak, they declared it as a province-wide outbreak. The numbers that we're seeing in [the Calgary zone] may just be an indication that we're a little bit farther behind on the outbreak than other parts of the province have been. The steps that people in the Northern part of the province need to be taking, from an outbreak point of view, Calgary needs to be taking, to make sure our numbers don't spike the way they have in other parts of the province."

She says the danger of syphilis is that the presence of the infection isn't always obvious.

"One of the reasons that this outbreak, and STIs in general, tend to spread so easily is that people aren't aware that they have them, and at the same time are spreading them. There are phases in syphilis when people may not have any symptoms. Syphilis specifically move into a bit of a latent phase, and it can be like that for several years where there are no symptoms at all. A number of people would, if they're not treated, move into a tertiary phase where treatment starts becoming much more difficult, because the infection starts to effect the brain tissue, heart issue, and other organs, and really starting to cause some serious and profound health issues. That message about picking it up as early as possible when treatment is much much more effective, and we can stop that spread to other people is really important."

The best way to prevent the spread of syphilis is to get checked regularly, especially individuals who are in a new relationship, engaging with multiple sexual partners, or have a history with sexually transmitted infections.

Another big factor in the outbreak is Congenital Syphilis, which occurs when a child is born of a mother with syphilis. It's known to cause significant complications in newborns, and often leads to stillbirth.

AHS urges anyone who is pregnant to seek prenatal care whether or not they feel they are at risk, as tests are provided for a multitude of conditions including congenital syphilis.

McDougall says Alberta isn't the only jurisdiction to see this increase, with other provinces, U.S. states, Australia, New Zealand, and several European countries also reporting uptakes in syphilis diagnoses.

A provincial outbreak coordination committee has been activated, with plans to outline action strategies over the next several months.

For more information the outbreak, click here.

 

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