International News Canada: Rates of Some Sexually Transmitted Diseases RiseMay 3, 2010 Syphilis diagnoses rose in the Niagara Region for the fourth consecutive year in 2009, according to an April 13 report to the public works committee. The reported increases may be due to greater access to clinical services or more accurate testing methods, Spencer and Loewen said. However, the increases also may reflect an actual growth in prevalence, they added. Acute hepatitis B infections remained low in the region, largely the consequence of an 80 percent uptake of the vaccine against the disease, Spencer and Loewen said. However, reports of hepatitis C -- for which there is no vaccine -- continued to be high for the past decade. In February, Canadian Health Minister Leona Aglukkaq noted chlamydia, gonorrhea and syphilis rates were all on the rise. The three STDs are increasing more dramatically among middle-age adults than among youths, she said. Niagara This Week (Thorold, Ontario) 04.20.2010; Paul Forsyth This article was provided by CDC National Prevention Information Network. It is a part of the publication CDC HIV/Hepatitis/STD/TB Prevention News Update.
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