Houston health officials are alerting people about a syphilis outbreak that has resulted in a 128% spike in female cases.
According to the Houston Health Department, it has also resulted in a nine-fold increase in congenital syphilis in Houston and Harris County.
According to statistics, new infections increased by 57%, from 1,845 in 2019 to 2,905 in 2022.
The number of incidents among women increased to 674 in 2018, up from 295 in 2019.
Congenital syphilis cases increased from 16 in 2016 to 151 in 2021, the most recent year for which statistics are available.
The government announced on Thursday that it would start a quick outreach response to address the issue, including expanding screening options, focusing on hotspots, and mobilising community partners to prevent new infections.
“It is critical for pregnant women to seek prenatal care and syphilis testing to protect themselves from an infection that could result in the deaths of their babies,” said Marlene McNeese Ward, deputy assistant director in the Department of HIV/STI and Viral Hepatitis Prevention. “A pregnant woman should have three syphilis tests during her pregnancy.”
The Department of Health and Human Services is abolishing all clinical expenses for sexually transmitted illnesses at its health centres and expanding the use of its HIV/STD mobile clinic.
It is also working with medical professionals and community partners to raise awareness of the outbreak and improve testing and treatment.
Testing is advised three times: during a woman’s initial prenatal checkup, during the third trimester, and at the time of delivery.
Untreated syphilis during pregnancy can cause a stillbirth or the death of a baby shortly after birth.
Notably, persons with syphilis are more likely to contract HIV due to the painless sore that appears at the site of sexual intercourse during the disease’s early stages.
While syphilis is easily treated with medications, the infection advances to the secondary stage when one or more parts of the skin break out in a rash if not treated.
Nonetheless, syphilis is often missed because the signs and symptoms are misconstrued or go unrecognized.