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Sexually transmitted diseases in Canada: an overview
Canadian Family Physician Medecin De Famille Canadien
|January 26, 2011
Summary
Many sexually transmitted infections (STIs) go unreported nationally. Non-notifiable STIs are as common as reportable ones, leading to an underestimation of the true incidence of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs).
Area of Science:
- Public Health
- Epidemiology
- Infectious Diseases
Background:
- Over 26 sexually transmitted infections (STIs) are known.
- Currently, only five STIs are mandated for national reporting.
- This limited reporting leads to an underestimation of STI prevalence.
Purpose of the Study:
- To highlight the significant impact of non-notifiable STIs.
- To emphasize the underestimation of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) due to reporting gaps.
- To underscore the public health importance of all STIs.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of national reporting data for STIs.
- Comparison of incidence rates between reportable and non-reportable STIs.
- Review of existing epidemiological data on STDs.
Main Results:
- A substantial number of STIs are not nationally notifiable.
- Non-reportable STIs occur with a frequency comparable to reportable STIs.
- The true burden of sexually transmitted diseases is likely much higher than official statistics suggest.
Conclusions:
- Current national reporting systems do not fully capture the scope of sexually transmitted infections.
- Public health strategies must account for the high prevalence of non-notifiable STIs.
- Accurate assessment of STDs requires improved surveillance for all infections.
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