EDMONTON — An alarming report from the Alberta Health Department shows a continuous increase in the number of sexually transmitted infections in the province.
Alberta Health’s 2013 report on notifiable sexually transmitted infections shows HIV rates have increased for the third year in a row. There were 255 newly diagnosed cases of HIV in 2013, compared to 204 cases in 2010. The provincial rate is now up to 6.3 cases per 100,000 people.
The report points to immigration being a factor in the spike, particularly with people coming to Alberta from countries where HIV is prevalent. However, the most common risk exposure is with men sleeping with other men, making up 50 per cent of reported male cases.
2013 Sexually Transmitted Infections cases reported in Alberta:
- Chlamydia: 15,824
- Gonorrhea: 1,973
- HIV: 254
- Syphilis: 120
The numbers are concerning for those who work in the sex education field.
“The message is getting out but the issue is, it has to be on-going. It has to be consistent,” explains Toby Rabinovitz, Options Sexual Health Association.
“Everyone had hoped that the strategies that we had in place would really impact and see it going down. But obviously there has to be a good look at it to say ‘well, what can we do differently?'”
The highest overall infection rates, for all STIs except syphilis, are in Edmonton and northern Alberta.
The report asks oil companies to encourage oil workers in the northern part of the province to engage in safe-sex, in the hope of limiting the spread of diseases coming from beyond our borders.