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home / 世界杯决赛2022

sexually transmitted infection rates on the rise in windsor-essex

the ongoing sexual health issue is something to which the melo clinic and pregnancy centre on ottawa street can attest.

by dalson chen
published aug 09, 2022
read time 2 minute read
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read time 2 minute read
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a couple gets intimate in this stock photo. getty images / windsor star
local rates of sexually transmitted infections (sti) are increasing, according to the windsor-essex county health unit. “syphilis, for example. chlamydia. gonorrhea,” said felicia lawal, director of health protection with the wechu.
the rise could have several contributing factors, lawal said — from the impact of the pandemic on access to health care, to more testing taking place, to the easing of social restrictions.
“that’s why we’re trying to raise awareness,” lawal said. “take precautions, because we’re seeing a rise in stis across the board, for the most part.”
according to health unit data, regional gonorrhea cases alone have risen by 17 per cent since 2019.
syphilis cases have also climbed over the past five years, while chlamydia rates have continued to be high for prevalence.
the ongoing sexual health issue is something to which the melo clinic and pregnancy centre on ottawa street can attest.
preeti amolik, the clinic’s executive director, said the number of individuals the clinic has served for sti testing is higher this year than it was at this time last year.
and in terms of results, the melo clinic has seen more positive tests for chlamydia compared to previous years, amolik said.
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the melo clinic has also confirmed a case of gonorrhea — something that the clinic did not see in all of 2021.
“from the data we’ve seen from public health canada, too, stis overall are on the rise — and chlamydia and gonorrhea are certainly two of them,” amolik said.
“i’d say it’s ‘on trend’ — what we’re seeing in our specific region.”
preeti amolik, executive director of the melo clinic and pregnancy centre in windsor, is shown on aug. 8, 2022.
preeti amolik, executive director of the melo clinic and pregnancy centre in windsor, is shown on aug. 8, 2022. dan janisse / windsor star
safe sex practices are, of course, the constant recommendation of public health services.
but amolik believes frank discussion of the topic and encouragement of testing are also key to prevention.
“our role is to encourage clients to get tested even before they’re symptomatic, if they fit one or more of the criteria,” amolik said.
part of the issue is the stigmatization of stis — a stigma so strong that even going for testing carries negative connotations, amolik said.
“that is one of the barriers… we need to be able to address stis and educate for better health outcomes for clients.”
aside from the 100-year-old problems of gonorrhea and chlamydia, and the 5,000-year-old problem of syphilis, there’s a new cause for concern in 2022.
monkeypox — with a case count of 957 across canada, as of aug. 5 — is thus far primarily spreading in our country among men having sexual intercourse with men.
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more than 99 per cent of the monkeypox cases in ontario to date have been males, with an average age of 36.
last weekend, the windsor-essex county health unit organized the region’s first monkeypox vaccine clinic — held at a local pride day event.
lawal said the wechu has always promoted “good decisions and personal choices” in sexual activity.
“i would not say (this increase) is catching us off-guard,” lawal said. “but it is not the trajectory we want to see as a public health service. as with any disease, we want to see a decline.”
you can determine your personal risk level for stis by taking the wechu’s quiz at www.wechu.org/what’s-your-risk.

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