Some sexually transmitted diseases are spreading more quickly in the Arctic than in the rest of Canada, new research suggests.
The research compared instances of chlamydia and gonorrhea in Canada's three northern territories against rates in southern Canada, Alaska and Greenland between 2003 and 2006.
The study found that rates of gonorrhea and chlamydia infection are about eight times higher in Canada's three territories than in its provinces.
And although the rate of gonorrhea infection has decreased slightly in the North, the incidence of chlamydia is growing far faster than in the south. The infection rate increased eight per cent over those years in the provinces and 18 per cent in the territories.
The findings are in the journal Emerging Infectious Diseases, published by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The authors note that the statistics are worrisome because the highest incidence of infection is predominantly reported among young women in their early 20s and chlamydial infection and gonorrhea are major causes of ectopic pregnancy in the Canadian Arctic.
The authors add that true rates of infection could be higher than reported for a variety of reasons, including the likelihood that some people may be infected but have no symptoms and a lack of knowledge about sexually transmitted infections and their symptoms.
"Even if a person suspects that he or she has an infection, accessing healthcare can be a challenge since many of the Arctic communities are remote fly-in communities with limited healthcare resources,' the authors note.
As well, among the small communities of the North, many residents are worried about the issue of confidentiality, which can delay their decision to seek medical help or to inform past partners of infection.
The authors suggest that "community-based participatory research" would help communities develop their own monitoring and education programs for sexually transmitted diseases.
Such efforts are already underway in Alaska and Greenland and a meeting is scheduled in Anchorage next April between officials from Canada and the United States to discuss the issue.
