Data from Alberta Health suggests the province’s syphilis outbreak response is finally having an impact.
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In 2019, Alberta Health declared a syphilis outbreak after recording levels of infections not seen since the 1940s.
Last year, a report from Alberta Health shows there were 2,723 new cases diagnosed, down from 3,326 the year before.
Though these statistics are still several times higher than the 140 cases recorded in 2014 before the outbreak began, researchers and provincial health agencies say it’s a positive sign.
However, what exactly is responsible for this 18 per cent decline is “a million-dollar question,” said infectious disease specialist Dr. Ameeta Singh.
“I am of the opinion that the interventions that have been put in place are starting to now have an impact. The most important of those interventions has been the introduction of point-of-care testing for syphilis,” …