YELLOWKNIFE: Health care providers in the Northwest Territories are learning to use rapid tests for syphilis in response to an outbreak of sexually transmitted disease across the territory. NWT’s head of public health, Dr.
YELLOWKNIFE: Health care providers in the Northwest Territories are learning to use rapid tests for syphilis in response to an outbreak of sexually transmitted disease across the territory.
NWT Director of Public Health Dr. Kami Kandola has recently received special access from Health Canada to use the tests, which are awaiting formal federal approval.
Dra. Ameeta Singh, an infectious disease specialist, recently oversaw a 19-month clinical trial of rapid tests for dual syphilis and HIV in Alberta.
This study found that the tests, which provide results in 15 minutes, were more than 90% accurate.
The territorial government says syphilis rates in the NWT increased by 253 percent between January 1, 2019 and April 1, 2022, with a total of 222 cases detected during that period.
Although most cases of syphilis have occurred in Yellowknife, there have been some in all regions of the territory.
This report from The Canadian Press was first published on July 19, 2022.
The Canadian press