UPDATE: Northeast B.C. sees significant rise in syphilis cases

FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. — Northeast B.C. has seen a significant rise in syphilis cases, according to the BC Centre for Disease Control. 

In 2022, Northeast B.C. saw a rate of just under 40 syphilis cases per 100,000 people, a considerable increase from 2.8 cases per 100,000 in 2018.

While Vancouver Coastal Health Authority reported the highest number of infectious syphilis cases, Northern Health Authority reported the highest rate of infectious syphilis, said the BC CDC’s 2023 third-quarter report.

Doctor Rakel Kling, a medical health officer with Northern Health, says it’s vital for people to know syphilis is out there and is affecting people of all sexual orientations and ages equally.

In the northeast, however, she says syphilis is primarily affecting heterosexual men and women. 

“It’s really important to get tested for syphilis,” Kling added.

“It should be included as part of regular sexually transmitted infection screening, but it’s just great to be aware of to make sure it’s part of the screen.”

Kling says the increase in northern B.C. started around 2020 but saw its largest jump in cases last year.

In the Northern Health region, cases of syphilis in 2022 increased by five times the amount in 2021 — from 8.6 cases per 100,000 people in 2021 to 43.5 cases per 100,000 in 2022.

The doctor says she doesn’t think there’s a good theory as to why there’s been such a significant increase across the province.

“I think there’s maybe a bit of a lack of awareness that syphilis has been spreading throughout B.C. for quite a while now,” Kling said.

“It just hasn’t hit the north until about the last little while.”

Syphilis is a sexually transmitted infection (STI) that can be asymptomatic, meaning it does not show any symptoms at all. 

“[This] is why it’s important to get regular testing based on your health care provider’s recommendations,” Kling said.

When syphilis does show symptoms, a common early indicator is a painless sore, which can develop anywhere from three to 90 days after sexual contact.

“It’s usually in the genital area, but it can happen in other places where there’s sexual contact, like the lips or mouth,” Kling said.

Other symptoms of the infection include a rash, headache, fever, hair loss and swollen lymph nodes.

“The longer you wait to get it treated, and as [syphilis] progresses into further and further stages, it could actually be latent or lie dormant, which is very problematic,” Kling said.

“This is where it might not be symptomatic at all anymore, which is why it’s important to get tested.”

She said the treatment might vary a little depending on the stage of syphilis, but it is treated with prescribed antibiotics.

Kling adds that all STIs are serious infections, and it is important to use condoms and get regular testing done.

STI testing is available on Tuesday afternoons by appointment only at the Fort St. John Health Unit at 10115 110th Avenue. The phone number is 250-263-6000.

More information on sexual health can be found on Smart Sex Resource, a service provided by the BC Centre for Disease Control.