Manitoba syphilis outbreak driven by social media hook-ups

Social media is still fuelling the largestoutbreak of syphilis in Winnipeg in recent years.

Dr.JossReimer, medical officer of health for the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority, says60 cases have been reported in Winnipeg so far this year.The majority are diagnosed in men who are having sex with men

"The numbers are the highest we have seen since our current method of keeping record [was adopted]. We have numbers back to 1991 and wedon't have any other years close to this year," she said.

"We had outbreaks in 2003 and again in 2007, but this outbreak is quite a bit larger."

• August 2013:Social media 'hookups' help spread syphilis

Andat least 50 per cent of those infected usedsocial media to find a casual, anonymous sexpartner. That makes it more difficult for authorities to identify and notify people to get treatment.

"But in this case we are hearing that Mr. X is their partner and that's all they know. That his name is Mr. X online," said Reimer.

"And so we are having a lot of difficulty figuring out who the real person is, and being able to notify them and get them tested and treated."

To that end,the WRHA has bought advertising on social media sites to get the message out.

The good news is that when caught early,it is very easy to treat: one dose of an antibiotic, Reimer said.

"But what we are worried about mostly is that we are not able to notify people that have been exposed and when it does stick around, untreated, it can cause a lot of damage to the body over the years that the infection is present."