Syphilis rate soars in Prairie Mountain Health

Prairie Mountain Health is reporting the highest rates of syphilis it has ever seen, according to a medical officer of health for the regional health authority.

Dr. Mahmoud Khodaveisi said in 2015, 2016 and 2017, PMH averaged 33 cases of the sexually transmitted infection per year.

"However, for the first six months of 2018, we observed 31 cases," he said.

The data falls in line with what the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority has also been seeing. On Thursday, the CBC reported that the WRHA had encountered 120 cases of syphilis through the first six months of 2018, exceeding the number of annual cases in the past three years.

"The annual instances of syphilis has been increasing in recent years, not only in PMH, but in Manitoba and Canada as well," Khodaveisi said.

A previous report from The Brandon Sun found a jump in syphilis cases in PMH from just two in 2014 to 17 when the story was reported in November 2015.

According to Manitoba Health at the time, the WRHA saw 328 cases of infections and non-infectious syphilis in the city in 2014, making up the majority of the 407 cases reported across the province.

A medical officer for the region had pointed to the rise in online dating and hookups as possible playing a role in increasing STI numbers.

Khodaveisi said the risk factors for syphilis commonly include unprotected sex, those who have many sexual partners, men who have sex with men, and drug use.

"But I’m not able to tell you if they are the cause of the increased cases of syphilis in PMH or not," he said.

Syphilis is a sexually transmitted infection that is caused by the bacteria Treponema pallidum.

A description of the infection online on the Manitoba Health, Seniors and Active Living website calls syphilis the "great imitator" because of its wide range of symptoms, which can be confused with other conditions or diseases that can be overlooked by a health care professional.

The first symptom consists of a painless open sore, called a chancre or ulcer, which usually appears on the site where the bacteria entered the body, typically the genitals, vagina, rectum, lips or mouth.

Sores can appear three days to three months after having sex with someone who has the infection, but some may not develop symptoms for years.

Pregnant women can also pass the infection to their unborn baby during pregnancy or childbirth, which could lead to birth defects or a stillbirth.

If left untreated, it can cause serious neurological and cardiovascular complications, such as stroke, dementia and aneurysms.

Syphilis can be treated using antibiotics, such as penicillin, and those who are infected should inform their sexual partner or partners of their diagnosis.

Khodaveisi said transmission can be prevented by consistently avoiding risky sexual behaviour and by not having multiple sexual partners or unprotected sex.

PMH also tries to educate the public on risk-reduction behaviours, Khodaveisi said, and encourages pregnant mothers to undergo routine pre-natal screenings if they are at higher risk of infection.

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