Canada almost wiped out syphilis. Now rates are skyrocketing — as more women, infants getting infected

Just a decade ago, syphilis infection among infants was nearly eradicated in Canada.

However, there were signs that the sexually transmitted bacterial infection (STI) – known for causing painless sores, organ damage and stillbirths – is making a comeback. First, rates among adults increased in the early 2000s, followed by an alarming increase in congenital infections transmitted from mothers to infants.

The latest federal data show that in 2022, there were approximately 14,000 cases of infectious syphilis nationwide, and 117 cases of primary congenital syphilis were also reported. This is a nearly 15-fold increase from the only eight reported cases of syphilis in infants in the past five years.

Patrick O'Brien, a nurse specialist at Ottawa Public Health's sexual health clinic, said: "When I started in my practice, a little over 20 years ago, we were seeing syphilis every few months. And I say that now daily.”

There is no single reason to explain why syphilis is on the rise and in wider populations than in the past. Doctors believe that changing sexual practices and a lack of access to health care for marginalized Canadians may create a climate where these infections can spread quietly.

Most troubling for Sean Rourke, a Toronto health scientist at St. Michael's Hospital's MAP Center for Urban Health Solutions, is what he calls a "lack of political will" to fund and implement solutions, as the number of STIs "It's just getting worse and worse."

While federal officials have called syphilis an "ongoing crisis," Rourke said the situation should be treated as an emergency that requires immediate efforts on the ground — before more vulnerable people in Canada are burdened by the outbreak. bear the burden

Just a decade ago, syphilis infection among infants was nearly eradicated in Canada.

However, there were signs that the sexually transmitted bacterial infection (STI) – known for causing painless sores, organ damage and stillbirths – is making a comeback. First, rates among adults increased in the early 2000s, followed by an alarming increase in congenital infections transmitted from mothers to infants.

The latest federal data show that in 2022, there were approximately 14,000 cases of infectious syphilis nationwide, and 117 cases of primary congenital syphilis were also reported. This is a nearly 15-fold increase from the only eight reported cases of syphilis in infants in the past five years.

Patrick O'Brien, a nurse specialist at Ottawa Public Health's sexual health clinic, said: "When I started in my practice, a little over 20 years ago, we were seeing syphilis every few months. And I say that now daily.”

There is no single reason to explain why syphilis is on the rise and in wider populations than in the past. Doctors believe that changing sexual practices and a lack of access to health care for marginalized Canadians may create a climate where these infections can spread quietly.

Most troubling for Sean Rourke, a Toronto health scientist at St. Michael's Hospital's MAP Center for Urban Health Solutions, is what he calls a "lack of political will" to fund and implement solutions, as the number of STIs "It's just getting worse and worse."

While federal officials have called syphilis an "ongoing crisis," Rourke said the situation should be treated as an emergency that requires immediate efforts on the ground — before more vulnerable people in Canada are burdened by the outbreak. bear the burden

Just a decade ago, syphilis infection among infants was nearly eradicated in Canada.

However, there were signs that the sexually transmitted bacterial infection (STI) – known for causing painless sores, organ damage and stillbirths – is making a comeback. First, rates among adults increased in the early 2000s, followed by an alarming increase in congenital infections transmitted from mothers to infants.

The latest federal data show that in 2022, there were approximately 14,000 cases of infectious syphilis nationwide, and 117 cases of primary congenital syphilis were also reported. This is a nearly 15-fold increase from the only eight reported cases of syphilis in infants in the past five years.

Patrick O'Brien, a nurse specialist at Ottawa Public Health's sexual health clinic, said: "When I started in my practice, a little over 20 years ago, we were seeing syphilis every few months. And I say that now daily.”

There is no single reason to explain why syphilis is on the rise and in wider populations than in the past. Doctors believe that changing sexual practices and a lack of access to health care for marginalized Canadians may create a climate where these infections can spread quietly.

Most troubling for Sean Rourke, a Toronto health scientist at St. Michael's Hospital's MAP Center for Urban Health Solutions, is what he calls a "lack of political will" to fund and implement solutions, as the number of STIs "It's just getting worse and worse."

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