Syphilis is on the rise across Canada and around the world. The rate of infectious syphilis has not been this high in Alberta since 1948, according to the province. This is an STI that seemed to have been nearly eradicated a few short decades ago . . . perceived by some as a “historical disease.” 

Host Tamara Khandaker talks to Jennifer Wright, author of Get Well Soon: History’s Worst Plagues and the Heroes Who Fought Them, and infectious diseases specialist Dr. Lynora Saxinger of University of Alberta. They walk through the history of syphilis, how the perception and treatment of this STI have changed over time, and why we’re suddenly once again dealing with this really old health crisis.  

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