The results are in, and the news is good and bad.
The good news is that HIV and Hepatitis C rates are steadily falling in Saskatoon and surrounding area.
The bad news is that rates for some sexually transmitted infections (STIs) are increasing, according to statistics from a Saskatoon Health Region report on blood-borne infection and STI cases reported in 2013.
For certain STIs – the report compiled numbers for gonorrhea, syphilis and chlamydia – rates are up or stable because patients are ignoring certain risk factors, such as having unprotected sex.
The safe sex message needs to be amplified, said health region deputy medical health officer Dr. Julie Kryzanowski.
“Using a condom is the best way to prevent both sexually transmitted infections and transmission of blood-borne infections that can be sexually transmitted, like HIV,” Kryzanowski told reporters Monday afternoon.
“Educating people about how they can prevent infection by wearing a condom, there seems to be some fatigue in hearing this message and we need to look at novel ways to engage people, including things like social media and other public outreach campaigns.”
In 2013, 43 new HIV cases were reported in Saskatoon – a rate of 12.8 per 100,000 people, and a 59 per cent decrease since 2009, but still twice the national average, according to the health region. Hepatitis C cases totalled 147, or a rate of 43.7 per 100,000, which is a decrease of 30 per cent compared to 2012, but still 50 per cent higher than the national rate in 2012.
Injection drug use is a major risk factor for contracting HIV and Hepatitis C, but needle exchange programs, increased testing, monitoring and public education have helped drive the rates down, Kryzanowski said.
“When people see a family doctor, we’re hoping the norm is that they are offered HIV testing – not just based on risk factors, but for everybody, so they know their status,” Kryzanowski said.
“Across Canada it’s estimated one in four people who are HIV positive don’t know they are HIV positive, and we have no reason to believe that is different in Saskatchewan. So we’re encouraging people to get tested.”
Chlamydia rates haven’t changed since 2010, the report stated. The health region recorded 1,389 cases in 2013, or 412.9 per 100,000.
The region saw 207 new cases of gonorrhea last year, an increase of 35 per cent. Syphilis is uncommon, but increasing. The rate doubled to 1.2 per 100,000 last year. Since 2009, 45 cases have been reported.
The risk of STIs is greater among people in their teens and early 20s. Factors that increase the risk include sex with multiple partners and unprotected sex. Some of that risk is propelled by social media and “hook-up” apps for smartphones, but the health region doesn’t consistently collect data on the issue, Kryzanowski said.
“But it is a trend we are seeing in our health region,” she added.
The report includes plans and suggestions for ways to bring down STI rates in the region. One initiative allows patients to drop off specimens for testing at the sexual health centre without making an appointment. The specimen is sent away for testing and the patient is notified if the result is positive.
“We want to make it as easy as possible for people to come in and be tested,” Kryzanowski said.
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