Sexually transmitted infections increasing in Manitoba: provincial report

By Temi Olatunde

Sexual health may have taken a backseat for Manitobans these past few years.

The province released new data on sexually transmitted and blood-borne infections in Manitoba.

The report shows fewer Manitobans are getting tested for top-reported infections like chlamydia and gonorrhea.

In 2018, 93,302 were tested for sexually transmitted infections. That dropped to 89,611 in 2021.

Manitoba says the decrease in testing can be attributed to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on demand and delivery of testing and treatment services.

The province expects to see infection rates grow as people and health-care services resume regular activities.

The report shows higher rates of HIV cases identified, with numbers going from 119 in 2019 to 165 in 2021.

Testing for infectious syphilis has returned to pre-pandemic levels, but test positivity has doubled compared to a few years ago – with 881 cases in 2018 and 1,741 cases in 2021. Cases of non-infectious syphilis are also seeing increasing numbers.

While Hepatitis B infections have been stable over the years, Hepatitis C numbers are steadily decreasing, even with screenings for the infection going up.

Manitobans are encouraged to utilize sexual health-care services.

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