Syphilis cases up over 600 per cent in Sask. First Nations communities, says public health doc
Indigenous Services Canada’s top public health physician in Saskatchewan is sounding the alarm over growing rates of syphilis in First Nations communities in the province.
Dr. Ibrahim Khan says the statistics from 2022 broke all previous records.
“There were 850 infectious syphilis cases reported,” said Khan. “Which, in epidemiological terms, is a 639 per cent increase in the number of infectious cases. We also had, unfortunately, 13 early congenital syphilis cases, and one congenital syphilis case is an alarm for any health system.”
Indigenous Services Canada declared an outbreak in 2019 across all Indigenous communities in Saskatchewan due to disproportionately higher rates compared to the provincial rate.
Khan says the last two years of the COVID-19 pandemic made the issue worse due to the lack of testing, treatment, and prescriptions available.
“There were constant restrictions,” Khan told CTV News. “People were in isolation, you couldn’t see your doctor, you couldn’t get a prescription.”
But he says the majority of the 81 First Nations in the province are leading awareness, testing and treatment campaigns this summer, in partnership with other health organizations.
“Restrictions are gone, the mandates are gone, and there’s a little bit of freedom for the healthcare staff on the ground to do more testing, more awareness, and particularly targeting the youth in schools, all segments of the population.”
Another goal of the campaign is to ensure pregnant women can be screened for high-risk infections that could affect their baby, says Khan.
“Linking people to care, most of our Indigenous clients don’t have a family doctor,” he said. “And many of these pregnant women may not see a doctor. And if you don’t see a doctor, of course you’re not screened for all these high risk infections that jeopardize the health of the baby and mom after delivery. So that is a key priority for this summer.”
The Saskatchewan Prevention Institute says syphilis, if treated early, is curable.
But it can lead to serious harm in babies, including to their eyes, ears, teeth and bones.
Dr. Khan says the goal is zero cases, and it’s within reach.
“We have successful examples across Saskatchewan that were internationally recognized, so yes, we have championed communities that have achieved zero in the past couple of years,” said Khan.
“That is the hope.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
![](https://www.ctvnews.ca/polopoly_fs/1.6978861.1722008569!/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/landscape_800/image.jpg)
At least 4 buildings burned at Jasper Park Lodge, others damaged: Fairmont memo
The Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge said Thursday afternoon most of its structures are 'standing and intact,' including its iconic main lodge.
Major Canadian bank experiences direct deposit outage on payday
Scotiabank says it has fixed a technical issue that impacted direct deposits on Friday morning.
'He was just gone': Police ramp up search for vulnerable 3-year-old boy in Mississauga, Ont.
Police in Mississauga are conducting a full-scale search of the city’s biggest park for a non-verbal toddler who went missing Thursday evening. Sgt. Jennifer Trimble told reporters Friday morning that there has been no trace of three-year-old Zaid Abdullah since 6:20 p.m., when he was last seen with his parents in Erindale Park, near Dundas Street West and Mississauga Road.
Sask. appeal court says anti-trans group cannot join constitutional dispute over pronoun law
Saskatchewan’s Court of Appeal has denied a political group that opposes so-called “gender ideology” intervener status in a legal dispute over the province’s controversial pronoun law.
Driver charged after flashing high beams at approaching police
Orillia OPP arrested and charged a driver with impaired driving after flashing their high beams.
Powerful cartel leader 'El Mayo' Zambada was lured onto airplane before arrest in U.S., AP source says
A powerful Mexican drug cartel leader who eluded authorities for decades was duped into flying into the U.S., where he was arrested alongside a son of Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman, according to a U.S. law enforcement official familiar with the matter.
Elon Musk's estranged daughter calls out his 'entirely fake' claims about her childhood
Vivian Jenna Wilson, Elon Musk's estranged daughter, publicly refuted several recent anti-trans statements her Tesla CEO and X owner father has made about her.
What we know about 'malicious' attack on French train network ahead of Olympics opening
French transport was thrust into chaos Friday just hours ahead of the Olympics 2024 opening ceremony after a series of co-ordinated 'malicious acts' upended high-speed train lines.Here's what happened and what we know so far.
When Barbie learned what a gynecologist was, so did many other people, according to new study
A new study published Thursday in the journal JAMA Network Open has found that the ending in the 2023 blockbuster film 'Barbie' had an influence on online search interest in terms around gynecology, the branch of medicine that deals with women’s reproductive health.