A new provincial report calls for small STD clinics to be set up in Banff and Jasper following an outbreak of syphilis across Alberta.
The report, released last week by Dr. Andre Corriveau, chief medical officer of health for Alberta Health and Wellness, says Alberta continues to experience a sustained outbreak of syphilis that “shows no signs of abating”.
It says the number of cases has dramatically increased in the province since 2000, and in the past few years has spread outside known high-risk groups to the general population.
“The urgent need to interrupt this outbreak is compounded by the occurrence of babies being born with congenital syphilis, a situation that is completely preventable,” said Corriveau in his report.
The medical officer came up with a host of recommendations to try to curb the problem.
One recommendation was for smaller-scale STD clinics to be set up in Banff and Jasper, working in conjunction with existing services. Because of their nature as tourist towns, these two resorts draw large transient populations.
Local Banff physician Tanya Pentelichuk runs an STD clinic out of her third floor office in the Cascade Plaza, which is officially a satellite clinic of the Calgary STD Clinic.
Pentelichuk offers urine testing and swabs for chlamydia and gonorrhea, and also sends patients to the Banff hospital for blood work for HIV, syphilis and Hepatitis B testing.
The testing is available for everyone, and is free for those without Canadian health care.
Working tirelessly to promote sexual health access in the Bow Valley, Pentelichuk’s clinic also provides low-cost contraception and unplanned pregnancy counselling in a non-judgmental environment.
“I have always been very motivated to educate clients that they can protect themselves,” said Pentelichuk, who started her practice in Banff in 2002 and began the STD clinic in 2006.
“I recognized quickly that there is a unique population in Banff and the surrounding area, with a large population of seasonal workers aged 18 to 25, and that’s a very high risk group,” she added.
“When I moved to Banff, I very quickly saw there was a need for a clinic where clients could know that they could access testing and education and not be fearful of being judged for their choices.”
Syphilis is a serious bacterial infection that is passed from an infected person to an uninfected person during sex. Syphilis often doesn’t cause any symptoms in the early stages, or if there are symptoms many are indistinguishable from those of other diseases.
This means someone can transmit syphilis without any knowledge they are infected. Left untreated, the infection can progress to affect the entire body causing severe damage to the brain, heart and blood vessels, and bones. It can eventually lead to death.
Syphilis transmission can also occur from an infected pregnant woman to her unborn child.
Corriveau’s report said the risk of syphilis transmission to infants by their infected mothers is of “major concern”.
Since 2000, the report indicates 26 babies are confirmed to have been born with congenital syphilis.
“Several of these infants have died while others are severely affected by debilitating long-term physical effects; many will grow up with life-long development problems,” according to the report.
In 2009 alone, there were seven confirmed cases of infants born with congenital syphilis in Alberta, while yet another six infants remained under investigation.
“By contrast, in 2009 there has been one case of congenital syphilis reported in one other Canadian province,” said Corriveau.
While the current syphilis outbreak is a major concern, adding to the seriousness of the infection, Corriveau said, are increased infection rates for other sexually transmitted infections (STIs), including HIV.
His report said there is an estimated two-to-five-fold increase in risk of acquiring HIV when syphilis is present.
In 2009, there were 219 newly diagnosed cases of HIV. The number of cases of gonorrhea and chlamydia also remain high in the province: there were 1,537 cases of gonorrhea and 13,430 cases of chlamydia diagnosed in Alberta in 2009.
“Both of these infections continue to be the highest among those 20-24 years of age,” Corriveau’s report said.
It seems no segments of the population are spared from contracting syphilis.
The report indicated the disease is being found in young children under one year of age; teenagers as young as 14 years; seniors as old as 84 and university students and professionals.
“A ‘core’ or small sub-population of individuals, however, contributes to a disproportionately high percentage of encounters resulting in syphilis transmission, and this is important,” the report said.
“Traditionally, these sub-populations include people who have multiple sexual partners; men who have sex with men; sex trade workers; users of injection drugs; and the sexual partners of individuals in these groups.”
The report indicated the demographics of the current outbreak have shifted since 2000 when most syphilis cases were associated with men having sex with men, and were solely reported in the larger urban centres of Edmonton and Calgary.
“Today the outbreak has spread throughout the entire province,” the report said.
Edmonton and Calgary continue to report the highest number of cases; however, Fort McMurray and Lethbridge have emerged as new “hot spots” with rates that exceed those of Edmonton and Calgary.
In addition, infection rates are reported to be 18.6 times higher among young Aboriginal women and 2.8 times higher in Aboriginal men compared to their Caucasian counterparts.
Pentelichuk said she is aware of the syphilis outbreak in the rest of the province, but said she has not yet personally seen the spike in the Bow Valley.
“It is part of the big picture, though. STI’s are common no matter where you are,” she said.
Banff Mayor Karen Sorensen said health care for any residents in any age group is important.
“If there is a need for further education on this topic, the more education we have the better,” she said.
“Education, education, education. Communicate to make sure people are aware of the issue and that’s for any health issue.”
Due to lack of funding, AIDS Bow Valley ceased operations last year. AIDS Calgary has an office in Banff’s community hub, although it is not manned full-time at this point.
Shawn Carr, acting supervisor for Family and Community Support Services at the Town of Banff, said Community Services’ first point of referral is to Alberta Health Services.
“We refer people there,” he said.
