Syphilis on the Rise in BC: What You Need to Know

Fraser Health has launched a public awareness campaign urging pregnant individuals and those experiencing syphilis symptoms to get tested as cases climb dramatically in British Columbia.

A Changing Landscape

In 2019, the provincial health officer declared a syphilis outbreak in BC due to rising case numbers. Since then, the entire province has seen a dramatic increase in cases. Dr. Vincent Valdrez, a BC Centre for Disease Control sexually transmitted infection physician, said that during the first six months of 2023, B.C. reported 1,049 cases of infectious syphilis, a stark contrast to the 154 cases recorded throughout all of 2010. There were 1,060 cases in 2019 and 1,964 in 2022, according to the