Data from Alberta Health suggests the province’s response to the syphilis outbreak is finally having an impact.

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In 2019, Alberta Health declared a syphilis outbreak after recording levels of infections not seen since the 1940s.

Last year, an Alberta Health report showed 2,723 new cases were diagnosed, compared to 3,326 the year before.

Although these statistics are still several times higher than the 140 cases recorded in 2014 before the outbreak began, researchers and provincial health agencies say it is a positive sign.

However, the exact cause of the 18 percent drop is “a million-dollar question,” said infectious disease specialist Dr. Ameeta Singh.

“I am of the view that the interventions that have been put in place are now starting to have an impact. The most important of these interventions has been the introduction of point-of-care testing for syphilis,” Singh said.

Singh oversaw clinical trials of rapid tests capable of providing preliminary results for syphilis in less than a minute, allowing healthcare professionals to begin treatment immediately rather than having to make a follow-up appointment .

The device has now been approved by Health Canada, and in late 2022, point-of-care testing has been expanded to Alberta’s acute care and community settings.

More than 4,000 of these tests have now been completed, and Singh says she believes access to rapid testing and treatment partly explains the drop in reported infections.

“Of course, this is not the only intervention that was put in place. A number of other things happened simultaneously,” she said.

Alberta Health has also funded community organizations to raise awareness among high-risk populations and groups disproportionately affected by syphilis.

Singh said her team hopes to do more detailed assessments to determine why the number of infections is declining, and she hopes to have a more conclusive answer in the coming months.

Rural, remote and indigenous communities have often been disproportionately affected by the syphilis epidemic, in part due to limited access to health care and geographic or structural barriers that prevent people from getting tested and receive treatment.

The North zone continues to have the highest syphilis infection rate in the province, with 132.4 cases per 100,000 inhabitants. For comparison, the Edmonton zone had the second highest infection rate in 2023, with 64.4 cases per 100,000 people.

An Alberta Health spokesperson said the government is providing $3.2 million annually for the response to the syphilis outbreak, which includes funding for enhanced outreach activities to increase awareness of the access to tests, treatments and prenatal screening.

“The Government of Alberta is also providing $2 million to organizations targeting populations and geographic areas with higher rates of infectious syphilis or congenital syphilis, which includes mobile testing, treatment and education of STBBIs (sexually transmitted and blood-borne infections) in the North zone. the spokesperson said.