Chlamydial infections are on the rise in Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph.
The region saw an increase from 670 cases in 2022 to 766 in 2023, with cases typically being seen among those ages 20 to 29 and 15 to 19, according to a report presented to the Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph Board of Health on Wednesday.
Sixty three per cent of cases occurred in females, possibly because women are more likely to be screened for STIs, increasing the likelihood of asymptomatic infections being detected.
Latent (non-infectious) syphilis also increased from 11 cases in 2022 to 14 in 2023.
These infections can lead to pelvic infections and infertility issues.
Meanwhile, gonorrhea and infectious syphilis saw a decline locally in 2023, with 117 and 18 cases compared to 122 and 32 the year prior.
Sixty three per cent of gonorrhea cases were in males in 2023, and it was twice as common for those ages 20 to 29 compared to other age groups.
Seventy seven per cent of infectious syphilis cases reported to public health occurred in males, and most cases were among those ages 30 to 39, followed by those ages 20 to 29.
Syphilis can be transmitted from an infected mother to her child during pregnancy, called congenital syphilis – but there were no cases of this locally in 2023.
HIV/AIDS remains rare, though it saw a slight increase from eight cases to 10 in 2023. Just over half of cases were in males, and more than half of the cases were in those ages 40 and up.
While Mpox, formerly known as Monkeypox, can be transmitted through contact with infected wild animals – but it can also be transmitted through sexual contact. So while it isn’t technically considered an STI, public health is treating it as such.
There were no new Mpox cases in 2023, compared to six cases in 2022.
Chief Nursing Officer Rita Isley said during the meeting the lack of area cases last year were likely because of the vaccine campaign public health ran, as well as people gaining immunity once infected with a mild case.
“I anticipate that we will continue to hear about the emergence of Monkeypox in the media over the next while, so what is important is that we monitor that to understand what’s happening, so we can direct and target our services to meet the most important needs,” she said.
Overall, the rates are “nowhere close to 2019” rates, said Isley, but noted it’s more to do with the pandemic impact on clinical services rather than rates going down.
“The pandemic has impacted our ability to monitor the trends over the last few years,” she said. “The 2023 reintroduction of all our clinical services, including bringing physicians onboard to work in clinical services, will help us in 2024 to understand (the trends) better,” she said.
Clinical services restarted all programs in 2023 after a hiatus during the pandemic, which includes timely STI testing, reproductive health and pregnancy services.
Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph Public Health also has a sexual health program that provides case management for all positive cases of gonorrhea, chlamydia and syphilis in the area. In particular the program targets those without a primary care provider or Ontario Health Card.
The report notes clients of any age can access STI treatment options for free through WDGPH.
