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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.
June 30, 2015 by Jason Wong, Physician Epidemiologist, Clinical Prevention Services, BCCDC; and, Linda Hoang, Medical Microbiologist, Laboratory Services, BCCDC; and, Troy Grennan, Medical Head, STI Clinic, Clinical Prevention Services, BCCDC; and, Carolyn Montgomery, Physician Sessional, Clinical Prevention Services, BCCDC; and, Sylvia Makaroff, Physician Sessional, Clinical Prevention Services; BCCDC
Background Lymphogranuloma venereum (LGV) is a sexually transmitted infection caused by Chlamydia trachomatis serovars L1, L2 and L3. Though LGV was first reported in BC in 2004, there has been a significant increase in the number of reported LGV cases since late 2010, particularly among HIV-positive gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with…
October 15, 2014 by Dr. Jason Wong, Clinical Prevention Services, BCCDC
Background Provincial sexually transmitted infection (STI) data was used to describe the number of new STI (i.e., chlamydia, gonorrhea and infectious syphilis) case reports in BC overall (1991-2013) and to describe trends for the past ten years (2004-2013) by regional health authority, gender and age. Findings Chlamydia Mirroring the national trend, genital chlamydia rates have…
June 20, 2014 by Daphne Ling, Epidemiologist, Clinical Prevention Services, BCCDC
Background We present the final number of new HIV diagnoses in BC for 2013 and describe recent trends by gender, region and exposure category. Methods We used provincial HIV surveillance data to describe the number of new HIV diagnoses in BC and historical trends for 2003-2013. New HIV diagnoses are a proxy for incidence because…
April 2, 2014 by Mark Gilbert, Physician Epidemiologist, Clinical Prevention Services, BCCDC
Background Recently in BC, the number of infectious syphilis cases in gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men (MSM) has been increasing dramatically, particularly among men living with HIV infection. This trend is not unique to BC, and has been reported elsewhere in Canada as well as internationally. Syphilis is curable by…
August 8, 2013 by Travis Salway Hottes, Epidemiologist, Clinical Prevention Services, BCCDC
Background In February, we reported on key findings from our ongoing investigation into increasing infectious syphilis trends in British Columbia. In 2012, BC saw the highest rate of infectious syphilis in more than 30 years, a trend which is continuing in 2013. The majority of cases continue to occur among gay, bisexual, and other men…
June 12, 2013 by Theodora B. Consolacion, Epidemiologist, Clinical Prevention Services, BCCDC
In this update, we present the final number of new HIV diagnoses in BC for 2012, and describe recent trends by gender, region, and exposure category. Methods We used provincial HIV surveillance data to describe the number of new HIV diagnoses in BC overall (1986-2012) and to describe trends for the past ten years (2003-2012)…
May 8, 2013 by Margot Kuo, Epidemiologist, Clinical Prevention Services, BCCDC
Background Prevalence and incidence are two basic measures of disease frequency used to inform our response to the Hepatitis C (HCV) epidemic. Prevalence is the total number of people living with chronic HCV infection, while incidence is the number of new infections that occur in that year. HCV surveillance in British Columbia relies on diagnoses…
February 27, 2013 by Travis Salway Hottes, Epidemiologist, Clinical Prevention Services, BCCDC
After declining to historic lows in the mid-1990s, rates of infectious syphilis in BC increased, at first predominantly among street-involved populations in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside, then more recently among gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men (MSM). As in other jurisdictions throughout North America, MSM now make up the majority of infectious…
December 20, 2012 by Travis Salway Hottes, Epidemiologist, Clinical Prevention Services, BCCDC
Background Prevalence and incidence are two basic measures of disease frequency used to inform our response to the HIV epidemic. Prevalence is typically defined as the total number of people living with HIV in a year, while incidence is the number of new infections that occur over a year. New HIV diagnoses (i.e., case reports)…
October 11, 2012 by Dr. Mark Gilbert, Clinical Prevention Services, BCCDC
The provincial annual surveillance report describing trends in HIV and AIDS for 2011 is now available online. In comparison to previous annual surveillance reports, this report provides a greater description of trends by subgroups and aims to provide the context needed to understand not just what the trends are but why they are occurring. A…