Chlamydia, syphilis rates increase in Canada — and experts say declining condom use is partly to blame

published on July 14, 2019 by Maryse Zeidler, in CBC

STI & HIV World Congress takes place in Vancouver this week, with researchers from around the globe

Sexual health experts say infections like chlamydia, gonorrhea and syphilis are on the rise in Canada and around the world — and they say declining condom use is partly to blame.

The topic is one of many that will be discussed at the STI & HIV World Congress in Vancouver this week.

Nathan Lachowsky, assistant professor in the School of Public Health and Social Policy at the University of Victoria, will be one of several Canadian researchers presenting his work at the congress.

...

Dr. Julio Montaner, executive director of the B.C. Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS, credits B.C.'s aggressive fight against the disease.

But he warns against assuming that people use condoms less today because they think medication will keep them from getting infected. Montaner says past studies have shown that's not the case.

Instead, Montaner thinks sexual health researchers can learn from B.C.'s approach in the fight against HIV/AIDS, which includes targeting at-risk populations and offering prophylactic treatment to prevent the disease's spread.

"What we need to recognize is that further efforts are required so that we can expand that kind of success to other areas," Montaner said.

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Julio Montaner

BC Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS

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Chlamydia, syphilis rates increase in Canada — and experts say declining condom use is partly to blame

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