EDMONTON JOURNAL
Mariam Ibrahim
Original Article: bit.ly/1IO517B
EDMONTON – As sexually transmitted infections and HIV continue to rise across the province, experts say employers in Alberta’s oilpatch need to be more proactive about encouraging safe-sex practices among their workers.
Alberta Health’s 2013 annual report on notifiable sexually transmitted infections, released late last week, shows HIV rates have increased for the third year in a row. With the exception of syphilis, overall infection rates were highest in Edmonton and northern Alberta.
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The number of HIV cases in the province has increased from 204 cases in 2010 to 255 cases in 2013. The 2013 provincial rate was 6.3 cases per 100,000, a minor increase over the 2012 rate. The highest number of new cases were reported among men who have sex with men, a trend in the rates that has increased each year since 2008.
Talbot noted the rate of HIV among aboriginal Albertans remains higher than for non-First Nations populations, but has remained stable. “That’s a significant positive,” he said.
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