Syphilis Outbreak Declared In N.W.T.

Thursday, 22 August 2019 15:29

According to a Thursday morning news release, Dr. Kami Kandola declared the outbreak after a dramatic spike of syphilis cases across N.W.T. with 70% taking place in Yellowknife.

Northwest Territories Chief Medical Officer Dr. Kami Kandola has declared a syphilis outbreak across the territory.

According to a Thursday morning news release, Dr. Kami Kandola declared the outbreak after a dramatic spike of syphilis cases was being seen in local communities. 70% of the cases taking place were in Yellowknife.

In April, a public health advisory was made, encouraging people to practice safer sex and get tested regularly for syphilis and gonorrhea.

Dr. Kami Kandola says this increase in syphilis is not just happening in N.W.T.

"If you look across Canada, and the Yukon is thankfully exempt right now, there's been an increase in syphilis across Canada. Not just in Canada, even in the states. Alaska is facing it's first syphilis outbreak in the last 40 years. This phenomenon is not a phenomenon that's unique to N.W.T."

Other areas in Canada that have declared syphilis outbreaks in the past five years include Ontario, Nunavut, Manitoba, Alberta, British Columbia and Saskatchewan.

Dr. Kami Kandola says the outbreak has only come-on within the past few years.

"In 2017, we started out with five cases of infectious syphilis. In 2018 it increased to 11, so almost once per month. In 2019, it's August and we've had 28 cases of infectious syphilis."

Part of the danger of these increasingly high rates of syphilis is the danger it can have on pregnant women.

If a pregnant woman has syphilis, she could pass it onto her infant, which can cause stillbirth or neonatal death.

Symptoms can include an open sore at the site of infection, fever, swollen glands, and possibly a rash on the palms or soles of the feet.

Dr. Kami Kandola says that anyone experiencing these symptoms should immediately get tested.

Syphilis is treatable with penicillin or other antibiotics depending on the stage the infection has progressed to.

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