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4mo ago

Montreal Faces Surge in Tuberculosis and Syphilis Cases, Public Health Calls for Action

A public health report highlights a 53% rise in tuberculosis cases and a 60% increase in syphilis over a decade, with uninsured and immigrant populations disproportionately impacted.

FILE - This 1966 microscope photo made available by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows a tissue sample with the presence of numerous, corkscrew-shaped, darkly-stained, Treponema pallidum spirochetes, the bacterium responsible for causing syphilis. On Tuesday, Nov. 7, 2023, alarmed by yet another jump in syphilis cases in newborns, U.S. health officials are calling for stepped-up prevention measures, including encouraging millions of women of childbearing age and their partners to get tested for the sexually transmitted disease. (Skip Van Orden/CDC via AP, File)
A sign about tuberculosis taped to a light pole across the street from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention headquarters in Atlanta on Tuesday, April 1, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP-Ben Gray

Overview

  • Montreal reported 203 tuberculosis cases in 2024, a 53% increase from the previous decade's annual average of 123 cases.
  • Nearly half (48%) of 2024 tuberculosis cases involved individuals without provincial health insurance, compared to 9% in 2015.
  • Syphilis cases rose by approximately 60% over the past decade, reaching 556 cases in 2024, with a growing number of diagnoses among women suggesting broader transmission patterns.
  • Public health officials emphasize that uninsured and foreign-born populations are disproportionately affected by these infectious diseases, citing significant barriers to care.
  • The report recommends targeted programs to improve access to care for at-risk groups and notes additional 2024 outbreaks of measles, whooping cough, and mpox.