News Release
1999-23
February 15, 1999
New guidelines for STD transmission speed up diagnosis and treatment
Working towards reducing sexually transmitted diseases in Canada
OTTAWA -- Health Canada today released the  1998 Edition of the Canadian STD Guidelines, giving physicians and other health practitioners a comprehensive and innovative approach to the diagnosis and management of sexually transmitted diseases.
The Guidelines simplify the identification of symptoms and determination of diagnostic methods, treatments and preventative measures for diseases such as syphilis, gonorrhea, chlamydia and genital HPV (Human Papillomavirus).
New treatments and diagnostic techniques outlined in the Guidelines will be a key information source for family doctors, public health authorities and emergency physicians. Chlamydia, for example, the most commonly reported bacterial STD in Canada, is often asymptomatic and can be devastating if left untreated. Information included in the Guidelines on new techniques, will allow for quicker and simpler detection of chlamydia. Early detection is the key to reducing the complications associated with advanced chlamydial infection.
The new guidelines may also be helpful in the campaign towards eradicating endemic gonorrhea in Canada. Since 1990, the overall reported rate of gonorrhea has dropped by 68% to 16.8 cases per 100,000 persons (1996).
The 1998 edition also includes a new section on reproductive issues and pregnancy, notably advising that prenatal HIV testing be offered to all pregnant women in Canada. The information in the Guidelines will also prove useful to health care practitioners who may have to deal with issues of child abuse and rape with its realistic advice on this highly sensitive issue, and proper methods of detection in crime situations.
First written in 1988 and revised in 1992 and in 1995, the Guidelines were produced by Health Canada's Laboratory Centre for Disease Control (LCDC) to ensure that health care providers and public health authorities throughout Canada have access to STD guidelines.
They are revised by field experts on a regular basis, in keeping with the constant evolution of both the diseases and the technology used to diagnose and treat those diseases.
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Media Inquiries
Margot Geduld
Health Canada
(613) 957-1803
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