Source: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/saska...ties-1.6534415

Sask. battles surging syphilis rates in First Nations communities, health officer says
411 cases reported in Indigenous communities from Jan. 1 to June 30 of this year, a 900% jump from 2019
Yasmine Ghania · CBC News · Posted: Jul 28, 2022 4:00 AM CT | Last Updated: 11 hours ago

Saskatchewan is battling a surge in syphilis cases, particularly among First Nation communities.

The province reported 411 cases of the sexually transmitted disease in Indigenous communities from Jan. 1 to June 30 this year — a more than 900 per cent jump from 40 cases reported during the same period in 2019, according to Dr. Ibrahim Khan, a regional medical health officer for Indigenous Services Canada.

"We are very concerned.… Many of these people are either homeless or in a very troubling socioeconomic status and they don't have access to care," Khan told CBC News Wednesday.

The COVID-19 pandemic and increased testing played a major role in the jump in syphilis cases this year, he said...