SALT LAKE CITY, Utah, Nov. 9, 2023 (Gephardt Daily) — Local health officials say Salt Lake County has seen an alarming increase in cases of syphilis that is consistent with national data announced this week by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
County health officials saw syphilis cases among women increase by 800% from 2018 to 2022, and 89% of those cases were in women of child-bearing age (15–44), the Salt Lake County Health Department stated in a news release Thursday.
An increase in syphilis among women of child-bearing age increases the risk of newborn syphilis in the community, the release says.
Newborn syphilis occurs when mothers do not receive timely testing and treatment during their pregnancy, according to the health department. Syphilis during pregnancy can lead to stillbirth, miscarriage or neonatal death, and surviving infants who are not adequately treated can develop blindness, deafness, developmental delays or skeletal abnormalities, health officials said.
“In 2022, we saw our first case of syphilis in a newborn since 2008,” said Dr. Angela Dunn, executive director of the Salt Lake County Health Department. “Newborn syphilis is especially unfortunate because it’s completely preventable. We can keep newborns from suffering by ensuring women have affordable, convenient access to syphilis testing and treatment, as well as appropriate prenatal care.”
Syphilis rates in all people also have increased in recent years, though not as dramatically as those among women. From 2018 to 2022, overall syphilis rates in Salt Lake County have increased 65%, local health officials said.
The CDC recommends that all pregnant women be tested for syphilis early in pregnancy, and that people with multiple or anonymous sexual partners be tested for syphilis every three, six or 12 months — depending on their number of partners and their specific circumstances.
Public health officials also urge health care providers to start syphilis treatment right away — while waiting for confirmatory testing — when they have a patient test positive on a rapid syphilis test.
Syphilis is a sexually transmitted infection caused by a bacterium. When left untreated, it can cause serious health problems, according to the CDC. The infection develops in stages, and each stage can have different signs and symptoms.
Syphilis is curable with the right antibiotics; however, treatment might not undo any damage the infection has already caused, health officials said.
For more information about syphilis, visit CDC.gov.
