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STI updates are blog posts from the BCCDC or our community partners about a variety of sexual health topics. These include program updates, clinical practice changes, new research, events, and more. We will not clutter your inbox with frequent emails, and your email address will not be used for any other purposes.
December 1, 2023 by BCCDC Clinical Prevention Services STI/HIV Education Team
The BC Centre for Disease Control is offering a self-directed online course Overview of Syphilis for Healthcare Providers in BC for clinician in British Columbia. The online course provides clinicians with the key foundational knowledge to support their role in the clinical recognition, screening and appropriate testing, treatment and follow-up of syphilis cases. This course…
November 8, 2023 by BC Centre for Disease Control, Clinical Prevention Services, STI Services
Recent clinical trials show that doxycycline post-exposure prophylaxis (doxyPEP) is efficacious in preventing certain sexually transmitted infections (STI) in gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men (gbMSM) and transgender women (TGW) with a recent history of bacterial STI (i.e. in the previous year). Further, in many jurisdictions including here in BC, doxycycline…
August 22, 2023 by Vancouver Sex Work Community Alliance
The Vancouver Sex Work Community Alliance is a partnership between the Health Initiative for Men and the Centre for Gender and Sexual Health Equity, aimed at increasing the wellbeing of sex workers of all genders and promoting their access to healthcare across the Lower Mainland. To do this, we combine research, education, advocacy, and outreach…
March 3, 2023 by Maxim Gaudette, Research assistant - Centre de recherche en santé publique (CReSP) , PhD candidate in public health – École de santé publique de l’Université de Montréal
Background Many queer men use gay dating apps such as Grindr, Scruff and Hornet [1], but their impacts on youth are not well understood. To further understand these impacts, we interviewed health professionals who work with young gay, bisexual, trans and queer men (YGBQTM). Summary of research We interviewed 28 health professionals working with YGBTQM in…
December 13, 2022 by Monica Durigon, Nurse Educator, Clinical Prevention Services, BC Centre for Disease Control
What is an HIV self-test? Point of Care (POC) HIV tests, also known as “rapid” HIV tests, screen for HIV antibodies. The first POC HIV test approved by Health Canada is the INSTI® Rapid HIV Test, which has been used in clinics and health care settings for many years. In November 2020, it was approved…
July 7, 2022 by BC Centre for Disease Control, Communications
There is a global outbreak of monkeypox in countries where it is not usually found. Monkeypox cases have been reported in BC with evidence of community transmission (not connected to travel). We are regularly updating information and case counts on this page: bccdc.ca/monkeypox Most cases globally have been in men who identify as having sex with…
March 3, 2022 by Terri Buller-Taylor, Hepatitis Education Canada/Pathways to Care for STBBIs in Prisons, Hepatitis Clinical Prevention Services, BC Centre for Disease Control
You Matter Pathways to STBBI Care – Project Update – March 2022 People who experience incarceration are disproportionately affected by STBBIs, with significantly higher rates of infections such as hepatitis C virus (HCV) among people in prison compared to the overall population. People who have experienced incarceration can also face many difficulties in getting access…
February 10, 2022 by Oralia Gómez-Ramírez (BC Centre for Disease Control, University of British Columbia, CIHR Canadian HIV Trials Network), Mark Gilbert (BC Centre for Disease Control, University of British Columbia), Daniel Grace (University of Toronto)
Background GetCheckedOnline is a comprehensive internet-based testing service for sexually transmitted and blood-borne infections (STBBIs) available in select communities in British Columbia (BC), Canada, first implemented in 2014. The Digital Sexual Health Initiative team led by Dr. Mark Gilbert at the BC Centre for Disease Control conducted a study to understand the macro-level structural barriers and facilitators to…
November 29, 2021 by Jason Wong, Associate Medical Director, Clinical Prevention Services, BC Centre for Disease Control
Background HIV prevention continues to be a public health priority in British Columbia (BC). Incidence and prevalence are two measures of disease frequency used to inform our response to the HIV epidemic. Incidence is the number of new infections (both diagnosed and undiagnosed) that occur in an area over a year whereas prevalence is the…
November 26, 2021 by Jay McBain, Senior Practice Lead for STI/HIV, Clinical Prevention Services, BC Centre for Disease Control
Overview This self directed online course, offered by the BC Centre for Disease Control (BCCDC), is intended for Registered Nurses and other health care professionals who offer HIV testing or prevention services in their communities of workplace. The goals of the HIV Testing Online Course are: To provide the foundation for Nurses to competently provide…