Syphilis numbers in Saskatchewan are going in the wrong direction.
Last week Indigenous Services Canada announced that the number of cases in the province has increased from where they were in 2019 by roughly 900 per cent. Northern Inter Tribal Health Authority (NITHA) Medical Health Officer Dr. Nnamdi Ndubuka explained a province wide outbreak was declared in Saskatchewan in 2019. He said like the rest of the province NITHA communities are seeing higher numbers when compared to previous years and added the health authority has been dealing with outbreaks for quite some time.
“As of June we have reported 149 cases, so putting that into perspective, the 2022 syphilis rates are 3.7 times higher then we reported in 2019,” he said.
Overall Ndubuka classified the syphilis situation in NITHA communities as being serious with cases climbing. When it comes to transmission of the virus, Ndubuka said there are a number of risk factors which lead to people contracting the virus. The risky activities includes illicit drug use, however Ndubuka said many of the cases they are aware of are a result of sexual contact.
“Sex with a known case accounts for about 31 per cent,” he said.
A range of organizations have been working to help combat the issue of rising syphilis cases in Saskatchewan since the outbreak was declared in 2019. The Prince Albert Grand Council (PAGC) recently acquired a specialized van to provide testing and other services to some of their communities. Nubuka said NITHA has been working to raise awareness and educate people in their communities about the virus, he added there has also been an increased emphasis placed on trying to protect pregnant women.
“We’ve also instituted measures around prenatal screening for all pregnant women to ensure that we identify cases on time and institute appropriate treatment,” he said.
When it comes to testing, Ndubuka said NITHA has not only been working to get more people tested for syphilis but other sexually transmitted infections as well, including HIV and Hepatitis C to name two.
“If we test for one STD, we test for all,” he said.
Getting people tested and treated is crucial not only for the health of the person infected with the virus, but is also important in regards to reducing the spread of syphilis, as when it is caught, medications can be prescribed which can prevent the person from passing the virus on to other people.
“It tends to prevent any additional cases from that individual,” said Ndubuka.