Yellowknife pop-up clinic to test for STIs amid ongoing syphilis outbreak

Nearly four years after first declaring a syphilis outbreak, the number of cases continues to climb in the N.W.T.

About 250 cases have been detected since public health declared the outbreak in August 2019.

In response, health officials will set upa pop-up clinic at the primary care centre in Yellowknife this Saturday, to test for STIs.

The process includes questions about sexual history to determine the best kind of test to be done.But Nancy MacNeill, who works in health promotion for the Northwest Territories Health and Social Services Authority, says that shouldn't intimidate residents ordiscourage them from coming in.

"We really want to encourage people to talk more openly about STIs," she said. "People have sex, STIs happen, it's OK. Most of them are treatable. These ones are extremely treatable, and quickly."

MacNeill says residents in all communities can contact their local health centre for STI testing.

The N.W.T.'s rate of chlamydia, gonorrhea and syphilis have been among the highest in Canada, and well above the national average.

Quick tests

Last year, the territory introduced rapid blood tests for syphilis, which can give preliminary results in as little as five minutes.

Rebecca White, a sexual health nurse in the N.W.T., says the tests are great for finding positive cases, which would then require further testing and monitoring.

But negative results don't necessarily mean a person does not have syphilis.

An infection can take up to 12 weeks to be detected, or it could also have been too long since infection.

While it may no longer be infectious at that later stage, syphiliscan still cause damage to the brain, heart and other organs if left untreated. Expectant moms can also transfer the infection to their baby.

The rate of babies born with syphilis is growing across the country.

"That's one of the reasons we take syphilis so seriously," said White.

She added more extensive blood tests will still pick up an infection that has reached that later stage.

Kristin Richardson, a nurse practitioner, explained that a positive case will get significant follow-up.

"We can provide adequate treatment once we know which stage it is and what treatment to provide," she said.

If in the early stages, a person will get their blood tested at one, three, six and 12 months after detection.

"Once you have that effective treatment and we're confident that the blood work is telling us the infection is gone, the syphilis itself is gone," said Richardson.

But there's always a risk of re-infection later.

Tricky symptoms

There's no guaranteed way to identify syphilis without proper testing.

White says symptoms range from feeling like you have a flu, to rashes, to open sores, to nothing at all.

That's why she suggests people with more than one sexual partner get tested every three months or so, while those with a steady partner should still be tested every year.

The pop-up clinic in Yellowknife on Saturday will be open from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. and all appointments will be by walk-in only.