GUELPH – Chlamydia and gonorrhea infections are increasing in Wellington, Dufferin and Guelph, according a recent health unit report.
On May 1, the board for Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph Public Health (WDGPH) learned rates of infection in the local area are rising but they remain lower than the provincial average.
For chlamydia the rate of infection has increased 96 per cent from 139 cases per 100,000 people in 2008 to 273 cases per 100,000 people in 2018.
“Sexually active youth and young adults are most likely to be infected with chlamydia,” states the report from associate medical officer of health Dr. Matthew Tenenbaum and Karen Mulvey, interim clinical services manager.
In Wellington, Dufferin and Guelph the rate of infection was highest in the 20 to 29 age group, followed by the 15 to 19 age group.
“In 2018, there was a sharp increase in the rate of reported chlamydial infections in the 20 to 29-year-old age group,” the report states.
“The cause of this increase is uncertain, but it may be due to enhanced testing services offered through outreach programs, at community events, and to the university population in the City of Guelph.”
The infection rate for gonorrhea increased more than tripled from 11 cases per 100,000 people in 2008 to 34 cases per 100,000 people in 2018.
“We think that there are several reasons contributing to this and it’s tough to say … the one thing that’s most important … because there are multiple factors,” Tenenbaum said.
He noted behaviours are changing sexually.
“We know that people are less likely now than they were a couple of years ago to use condoms during sex, based on survey data,” he said.
Tenenbaum said there is no definitive reasons for the change.
“We have this working theory; it’s a process which is called condom fatigue, which is the idea that the more we talk about prevention, the more available and accessible we make things like testing treatment,” he said. “One of the unintended consequences of that is that it changes people’s understanding of an illness.”
In the past, people were aware of and practiced prevention strategies because treatment wasn’t as readily available and there was a stigma attached, he explained.
Now, “there is a sense that because it’s easy to treat there is a lacklustre need to prevent it in the first place,” he said.
Data from the Canadian Community Health Survey showed that in 2014, 28% of Wellington, Dufferin and Guelph respondents said they hadn’t used a condom when they last had sex. In 2016 that number jumped to 73%.
Another reason more people could be experiencing sexually transmitted infections (STIs) is sexual partners.
“The number of people’s sexual partners is changing,” said Tenenbaum, noting apps like Tinder result in people connecting sexually with partners outside their network.
“It’s easier for disease to spread around from group to group and we’re likely seeing changes in the pattern of these illnesses as a consequence of that,” he said.
Tenenbaum also pointed out testing is now easier, with a urine test working in most cases.
“We’re likely seeing higher testing rates and that’s also contributing to more of these cases being counted,” he said.
Tenenbaum said the data will help inform physicians and nurse practitioners.
“This data is informing how we partner with and do outreach with populations and stakeholders in the community around sexual health issues,” he said.
The report states many people are not screened annually for chlamydia and gonorrhea, so often they are unknowingly infected and spreading the diseases. Testing for STIs is available through WDGPH.
