Over the last several years, syphilis cases in Alberta have been steadily increasing. In 2014, there were 161 reported cases of the sexually transmitted disease (STI), while in 2020, there were 2,509, according to government data.
CBC News is reporting there were 765 reported cases of STI in the province during the first three months of 2021 alone, a skyrocketing number not seen in 70 years.
“The highest rates we’ve seen since the 1940s, which is, of course, the pre-antibiotic era,” said Dr. Ameeta Singh, an infectious disease specialist who works at Edmonton’s Royal Alexandra Hospital.
“Despite all of our advances, we are seeing a horrifying rate of syphilis cases. “
“What we’re doing with syphilis right now, from an STI services perspective, is we’re kind of putting out fires in a way,” said Singh, who also works at an Edmonton clinic for sexually transmitted infections, reports the Edmonton Journal.
COVID-19 pandemic has been a factor in the rise in cases
Syphilis was cited by Dr. Deena Hinshaw, Alberta’s chief medical officer of health, in a statement concerning the coronavirus pandemic in the province, according to NarCity – Edmonton.
“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 means that medical staff at public health clinics have been taken away to work on COVID responsibilities, which is understandable, during the height of the pandemic.
Dr. Singh explained, “Our nurses, our frontline workers who find and test and offer treatment for most patients with STIs, including syphilis, are part of notification nurses in the province as well as nurses at the STI clinics.”
Not only that, but the pandemic has restricted movement by the public through the clinics, curtailing the outreach services that are normally provided. It’s “very likely” there are cases that have gone undiagnosed because of the pandemic, said Singh.
Singh said there has also been a “significant rise” in cases of congenital syphilis, where the infection is transferred to a baby from a pregnant mother. Since 2015, Singh said there have been 135 cases of congenital syphilis with about 30 infant deaths.
Syphilis cases in Alberta are spread out among a number of groups, with 25 percent of the cases among gay and bisexual men who have sex with men. “So what that means, of course, is that the remainder are heterosexual persons,” Singh said.
“Fifteen percent of the cases are among pregnant women. And about a third of the cases report sex with anonymous partners and 50 percent report injection drug use.”
The last time syphilis was this prevalent in Alberta was in 1948, just a few years after penicillin became widely available and cases began to decline.
“Remarkably, the bacteria has not developed resistance to penicillin,” said Singh, noting that it is still used as a treatment today.
