Syphilis - USA: (NC) RFI
Date: Sat 29 Aug 2008
Source: Winston-Salem Journal [edited]
<http://www2.journalnow.com/content/2009/aug/29/forsyth-syphilis-cases-way-up/news-local/>
Local and state health officials will be knocking on doors in Forsyth
County today [29 Aug 2009] to raise awareness of the sharp increase in
the number of syphilis cases this year [2009]. Forsyth leads the state
in new cases of syphilis, according to the epidemiology section of the
NC Department of Health and Human Services.
The number has doubled -- from 70 to 140 infectious cases -- in just
the 3 months since the department reported that there was an outbreak.
There were 46 cases in Forsyth last year [2008] and 31 in 2007. By
comparison, there have been more than 600 new cases statewide this
year [2009] compared with 509 in 2008. "We're at a public-health
crisis with syphilis," Evelyn Foust, the top official for the
communicable disease branch of the NC Division of Public Health, said
yesterday [28 Aug 2009].
About 125 officials and volunteers, wearing royal blue T-shirts
bearing the words POSSE, will be providing free in-home blood tests
for syphilis and HIV from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. today [29 Aug 2009]. POSSE
stands for Prevent On-going Spread of STDs Everywhere. Although the
effort will cover the county, the group will focus on neighborhoods
where there has been a cluster of new cases this year [2009].
Residents will be provided with a bag containing educational
information. A Wal-Mart gift card will be given to those people who
agree to be tested.
Syphilis is a bacterial infection spread through sexual contact that
can produce rashes or sores in the groin area. A blood test reveals
whether a person has syphilis. The disease is curable and, at most
stages, typically treated with antibiotics. Left untreated, syphilis
can cause damage to the heart and to the central nervous system. "The
same people who are at risk for syphilis are at risk for HIV," said Dr
Tim Monroe, the director of the health department. "They can contract
both diseases at the same time."
Much of the overall effort in Forsyth is directed at 2 populations
considered most at-risk -- prostitutes and gay and bisexual men.
Officials said they also are emphasizing educating and testing people
between ages 20 and 29.
Monroe said he doesn't know precisely why the number of new cases has
gone up so sharply. "It is likely connected to the frequency of
transmissions within social groups or certain social behaviors, such
as prostitution or selling sex for drugs," Monroe said. The recession
also may be playing a role in the increase, Monroe and Foust said.
"Some people may not use as good a judgment in bad economic times,
engaging in more drinking and drug use that may lead to encounters of
unprotected sex," Foust said.
Doctors are required by law to report syphilis to the local health
department, according to Patrice Toney, the HIV/STI prevention
supervisor for the local department. When people test positive, a
state disease-intervention specialist will contact them and then try
to find as many of their partners as possible and encourage them to
get tested. Depending on how these efforts are received and the status
of the outbreak, state and county officials may consider doing another
outreach effort this year [2009].
[Byline: Richard Craver]
Source: Winston-Salem Journal [edited]
<http://www2.journalnow.com/content/2009/aug/29/forsyth-syphilis-cases-way-up/news-local/>
Local and state health officials will be knocking on doors in Forsyth
County today [29 Aug 2009] to raise awareness of the sharp increase in
the number of syphilis cases this year [2009]. Forsyth leads the state
in new cases of syphilis, according to the epidemiology section of the
NC Department of Health and Human Services.
The number has doubled -- from 70 to 140 infectious cases -- in just
the 3 months since the department reported that there was an outbreak.
There were 46 cases in Forsyth last year [2008] and 31 in 2007. By
comparison, there have been more than 600 new cases statewide this
year [2009] compared with 509 in 2008. "We're at a public-health
crisis with syphilis," Evelyn Foust, the top official for the
communicable disease branch of the NC Division of Public Health, said
yesterday [28 Aug 2009].
About 125 officials and volunteers, wearing royal blue T-shirts
bearing the words POSSE, will be providing free in-home blood tests
for syphilis and HIV from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. today [29 Aug 2009]. POSSE
stands for Prevent On-going Spread of STDs Everywhere. Although the
effort will cover the county, the group will focus on neighborhoods
where there has been a cluster of new cases this year [2009].
Residents will be provided with a bag containing educational
information. A Wal-Mart gift card will be given to those people who
agree to be tested.
Syphilis is a bacterial infection spread through sexual contact that
can produce rashes or sores in the groin area. A blood test reveals
whether a person has syphilis. The disease is curable and, at most
stages, typically treated with antibiotics. Left untreated, syphilis
can cause damage to the heart and to the central nervous system. "The
same people who are at risk for syphilis are at risk for HIV," said Dr
Tim Monroe, the director of the health department. "They can contract
both diseases at the same time."
Much of the overall effort in Forsyth is directed at 2 populations
considered most at-risk -- prostitutes and gay and bisexual men.
Officials said they also are emphasizing educating and testing people
between ages 20 and 29.
Monroe said he doesn't know precisely why the number of new cases has
gone up so sharply. "It is likely connected to the frequency of
transmissions within social groups or certain social behaviors, such
as prostitution or selling sex for drugs," Monroe said. The recession
also may be playing a role in the increase, Monroe and Foust said.
"Some people may not use as good a judgment in bad economic times,
engaging in more drinking and drug use that may lead to encounters of
unprotected sex," Foust said.
Doctors are required by law to report syphilis to the local health
department, according to Patrice Toney, the HIV/STI prevention
supervisor for the local department. When people test positive, a
state disease-intervention specialist will contact them and then try
to find as many of their partners as possible and encourage them to
get tested. Depending on how these efforts are received and the status
of the outbreak, state and county officials may consider doing another
outreach effort this year [2009].
[Byline: Richard Craver]
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