Syphilis rates in Vancouver at epidemic proportions: VCH

VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) – Syphilis rates are at their highest in 30 years in the Lower Mainland.

“In 2012, 371 cases were reported in BC and 80 per cent of those were diagnosed in Vancouver Coastal Health,” says Dr. Réka Gustafson, medical health officer with VCH.

The health authority is specifically urging sexually-active gay and bi-sexual men get tested every three to six months for the disease. However, it has not indicated why they are only mentioning this demographic.

“We’re encouraging men who have sex with men to become more aware about syphilis and to incorporate regular testing into their health care routine,” says Gustafson.

Syphilis is highly contagious; it’s primarily spread by sexual activity. Health experts say you can contract the disease just by being in close contact with certain body parts of an infected person. Syphilis also increases the risk of getting HIV. About 60 per cent of people with syphilis in VCH are also HIV positive.

“A lot of people believe that just because they performed oral sex on their partner they’re practicing ‘safe sex.’ But syphilis spreads easily through any form of sexual contact,” says Dr. Rich Lester with the BC Centre for Disease Control.

“On top of that, syphilis may have no symptoms in the early stages and whatever symptoms do appear later on are often mistaken for other diseases.”

Common symptoms include sores that look like bug bites, rashes on the palms and soles, fever, swollen lymph glads, and weight loss. If the disease isn’t treated, it can lead to permanent blindness, hearing loss, neurological problems, and even death.

Pregnant women can pass syphilis to an unborn child.

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