Rates of chlamydia among the NWT population higher than the rest of Canada
| Symptoms |
| Women: |
| A new or different discharge from the vagina. |
| A burning feeling when urinating. |
| A pain in the lower abdomen, sometimes with fever and chills. |
| Pain during sex. |
| Bleeding between menstrual cycle. |
| Bleeding during intercourse. |
| Men: |
| A watery or milky drip from the penis. |
| An itchy feeling inside the penis. |
| A burning feeling when urinating. |
| Pain or swelling in the testicles. |
Darren Campbell
Northern News Services
NNSL (Sep 14/98) - As if the Northwest Territories didn't have enough social ills to worry about, there is yet another to add to the list.
Residents of the NWT are getting chlamydia and they are getting it a lot.
In fact, the rates of reported cases for this sexually transmitted disease (STD) are 10 to 11 per cent higher than the rest of Canada. That is not good news for health officials in the NWT.
Dr. Andre Corriveau, the chief medical officer for the NWT, said while health officials have been warning residents about the danger of STDs and how to prevent them, that message isn't sinking in.
"Obviously we are not doing enough work," said Corriveau.
"So we need to work with our communities and improve communication and get the message out that will reach people ad make a difference."
And much more work needs to be done. In 1997 Corriveau said there were 1,047 reported cases of chlamydia in the NWT.
This is shaping up to be an even busier year on the chlamydia front. Statistics show that from January to March there were 289 reported cases. That is up from 205 during the same period in 1997.
Corriveau noted that rates of chlamydia infection are higher in Nunavut than in the Western Arctic. But why that is the case is anybody's guess said Corriveau.
One of the problems with chlamydia is that there are often no symptoms, so an infected person can spread the disease to others without knowing it. You can only get chlamydia by having vaginal or anal sex.
Dr. Barbara Romanowski, director of STD Services Program in Alberta, is well aware of the chlamydia problem in the NWT. She said beyond the health problems they can cause there is another important fact people may not realize about getting an STD like chlamydia.
"Having other STDs increases the risk of getting HIV," said Romanowski.
The reason for that is a person who has an STD usually will have an infected or inflamed genital area. That makes it easier for a virus like HIV to enter through that area.
What is also disturbing for Romanowski is that cases of chlamydia are high among the 15-24 age group. And that is exactly the age group they are trying to educate about safe sex practices that will prevent the spread of STDs.
