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SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE - An outbreak of syphilis in the NWT continues to grow in numbers of cases and regions affected.

The total number of cases of the sexually-transmitted infection stood at 41 as of Dec. 11.

In that total, two cases have been reported in a new area - Hay River.

"This is exactly what we expected, that it would spread," said Wanda White, a communicable disease specialist with the Department of Health and Social Services in Yellowknife.

White said the only region in the NWT without a confirmed case is the Dehcho, although she predicted it is just a matter of time before a case is also found there.

"I'd be more concerned if they didn't find any," she said, explaining that might indicate people weren't getting tested.

The first case in the current outbreak was diagnosed in Fort Smith in July.

Only four cases had been reported in the NWT over the previous decade.

White said it will be some time before the outbreak slows down.

"You see a steady increase over a year or so and then gradually, as people get the message and change their behaviour, you see a decline," she said.

The outbreak has not peaked, she said. "We have no indication that it has."

White said recent outbreaks in the Yukon and Alberta both took about two years before gradually decreasing.

Syphilis is spread through vaginal, oral and anal sex. If left untreated, it can cause, among other things, blindness, deafness, paralysis, and damage to the liver, heart and brain.

It is best treated with penicillin shots or other antibiotics in its early stages to prevent serious complications and the spread of the disease. Treatment can cure syphilis, but cannot reverse damage to internal organs.

Without treatment, about one-third of the people infected will develop serious complications later in life.

White said part of the fight against syphilis involves contacting the sexual partners from the previous six months of people diagnosed with the infection. The partners are urged to get tested and treated, if necessary.

White said there is a 60 to 70 per cent chance that one unprotected sexual encounter will transmit the infection. It is even possible that the infection could be transmitted by sores during protected sex.

Aggressive efforts to raise awareness about the outbreak have been ongoing in communities throughout the NWT.

"The change in behaviour is slow," White said. "It's the same as smoking and eating healthy. People seem to think they are the exception to the rule and that's not a good way to go."

People need to talk to their partners about their previous sexual history, she advised, adding couples in new relationships should both be tested before becoming sexually intimate.

"I hate being a downer about sex," she said, but added people have to be educated about the consequences of their actions.

Charles Taylor, the acting CEO of the Hay River Health and Social Services Authority, said there might be other cases in the community.

"The doctors and the nurse practitioners have been made aware of the outbreak in the Northwest Territories," he said. "They're being more vigilant."

Taylor said the authority is looking to hire a public health nurse to focus on sexually-transmitted infections.

The proposal for the position was first made a couple of years ago, long before the current syphilis outbreak.

Taylor said it is hoped the new nurse can be in place by April 1.

"This is one way of getting a handle on what's going on," he said, adding such a nurse could help identify sexually-transmitted infections and ensure patients get proper treatment.