Alberta's Syphilis Cases Are Skyrocketing Right Now & The Pandemic Didn't Help
Rates apparently haven't been this high since the 1940s.
According to recent reports, syphilis cases in Alberta are on the rise and the number of infections is at the highest levels they've been in 70 years.
According to CBC News, there were 765 reported cases of the sexually transmitted infection in the province during the first three months of 2021 alone. A report from Alberta Health showed that there were 2,509 cases in 2020, which represents a 9% increase from 2019.
Speaking about the current caseload in an interview with CBC News, Dr. Ameeta Singh, a general infectious diseases practitioner in Edmonton, said that we are currently seeing "the highest rates we've seen since the 1940s, which is, of course, the pre-antibiotic era. Despite all of our advances, we are seeing a horrifying rate of syphilis cases."
In a similar conversation with the Edmonton Journal, she said that the COVID-19 pandemic has been a factor in the rise in cases.
Dr. Deena Hinshaw, Alberta's chief medical officer of health, also mentioned COVID-19's hand in the issue in a recent statement. "The majority of our public health resources have been directed at the COVID-19 response, as has been necessary. That has come at the cost of not fully working on other threats, like syphilis and opioid deaths," she said.
This article's cover photos were used for illustrative purposes only.