On June 24, the AIDS Committee of Newfoundland and Labrador (ACNL) is launching Know More, Test More, a provincial syphilis awareness campaign aimed at educating the public on syphilis and congenital syphilis and increasing testing for the infection.

The campaign, made possible by funding from the Public Health Agency of Canada, uses playful imagery and a sex-positive tone to let viewers know about the syphilis testing, treatment, and prevention options available to them. Clicking on any of the colourful ads that you come across online will bring you ACNL’s website (www.acnl.net) where you can locate your closest testing site and learn more about syphilis.

“Syphilis is here, and it can affect anyone who is sexually active,” says Julia Abundo, Provincial Coordinator of HIV/HCV Services at ACNL. “This campaign lets folks know that syphilis doesn’t have to be a big, scary thing. Often syphilis doesn’t have any symptoms, so testing is key. And if you do get a diagnosis, it can usually be cured with just one dose of antibiotics.”

Syphilis has been on the rise across Canada in recent years and Newfoundland and Labrador is no exception. The ongoing syphilis outbreak in NL Health Services’ Labrador-Grenfell zone was declared in October 2024 with case numbers surpassing all syphilis cases in the previous 10 years combined.

The campaign will be running from June 24 to July 23.