BACKGROUND:
The incidence of
syphilis in Ottawa, Ontario, has risen substantially since 2000 to six cases
per 100,000 in 2003, again to nine cases per 100,000 in 2007, and recently rose
to 11 cases per 100,000 in 2010. The number of cases reported in the first
quarter of 2010 was more than double that in the first quarter of 2009.
OBJECTIVE:
In May 2010, the Ontario
Ministry of Health and Long Term Care requested the assistance of the Field
Epidemiology Program to describe the increase in infectious syphilis rates and to
identify social network sources and prevention messages.
METHODS:
Syphilis surveillance
data were routinely collected from January 1, 2009 to July 15, 2010, and social
networks were constructed from an enhanced social network questionnaire.
Univariate comparisons between the enhanced surveillance group and the
remaining cases from 2009 on non-normally distributed data were conducted using
Kruskal-Wallis tests and χ2 tests.
RESULTS:
The outbreak cases were
comprised of 89% men. Seventeen of the 19 most recent cases consented to answer
the questionnaire, which revealed infrequent use of condoms, multiple sex
partners and sex with a same-sex partner. Information regarding social venues
where sex partners were met was plotted together with sexual partnerships,
linking 18 cases and 40 contacts, representing 37% of the outbreak population
and connecting many of the single individuals and dyads.
CONCLUSION:
Uncovering the places
sex partners met was an effective proxy measure of high-risk activities shared
with infected individuals and demonstrates the potential for focusing on
interventions at one named bar and one Internet site to reach a high proportion
of the population at risk.
Below: Reported infectious syphilis (primary, secondary and early latent cases only) rate per 100,000 population, males and females, Ottawa, Ontario, 2000 to 2009. Data source: Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care, integrated Public Health Information System, extracted December 23, 2014.
Full article at: http://goo.gl/a2HcAy
By: H D’Angelo-Scott, PhD,1 J Cutler, MHSc,1 D Friedman, PhD,2 A Hendriks, MPH,2 and AM Jolly, PhD3
1Canadian Field Epidemiology Program,
Public Health Agency of Canada;
2City of Ottawa Public Health, Centre for
Communicable Disease and Infection Control;
3University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario
Correspondence: Dr AM Jolly, Epidemiology and Community
Medicine, University of Ottawa, Room 3105 Roger Guindon Hall, 451 Smyth Road,
Ottawa, Ontario K1H 8M5. Telephone 613-562-5800 ext 8778, fax 613-562-5465,
e-mail ac.awattou@ylloja
More at: https://twitter.com/hiv_insight
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