Syphilis in Delaware County Has Reached Highest Reported Cases in 20 Years; Health Department Urges People to Get Tested

Pennsylvania Health Advisory Network reported that there is an increase of syphilis cases in Delaware County. They expect the numbers to rise by the end of the year, making it the highest it has ever been in 20 years.

The health department urges pregnant women and those who recently tested positive for other types of sexually transmitted diseases to get tested for syphilis.

Syphilis in Delaware County

Philadelphia CBS local news reported that Delaware County has expected that syphilis cases will exceed 210 cases this year, a 104% increase from 2020. The Pennsylvania Health Advisory Network announced on Tuesday, October 5, that the reported cases are the highest in the county in the last 20 years by the end of 2021.

Health officials said that about 84% of this year's cases are women of child-bearing age. If pregnant women have syphilis, there is a danger that they could also transmit syphilis to their babies.

Dr. Lisa O'Mahony, Interim Physician Advisor for Delaware County, said that there had been a demographic shift of reported cases over the last decade that involved the younger population. About 42% of the cases are people below 30 years old who reported primary and secondary syphilis in 2020.

Philadelphia's city health department also released a health advisory in July about the rising cases of syphilis among women in the city, which showed a concerning percent increase and curve. There were 811 early syphilis cases at this time last year, while this week, there are already 911 cases.

Pennsylvania Department of Health has already issued testing recommendations to all pregnant women, patients with a recent positive test for another sexually transmitted disease, and all patients with any symptoms related to syphilis.

Health experts said that it is crucial to educate people and give them access to complete and thorough health care to prevent sexually transmitted diseases like syphilis and HIV.

What is Syphilis?

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), syphilis is a sexually transmitted disease that causes serious health problems if left untreated. It is divided into four stages, primary, secondary, latent, and tertiary stages. Each of them presents different signs and symptoms.

CDC further explained that syphilis could be transmitted via direct contact with an infected person through vaginal, anal, or oral sex. Also, infected pregnant women can spread syphilis to their unborn babies.

WebMD reported that the bacteria called Treponema pallidum causes syphilis. It can get through someone else's body not only through sexual activity but also through cuts on the skin or through mucous membranes. The risk of getting infected increases when people engage in unprotected sex, have multiple sex partners and have HIV.

Syphilis is diagnosed with a blood test or by testing fluid from a syphilis sore. Fortunately, this highly contagious disease can be cured with the right antibiotics prescribed by a healthcare provider.

However, treatment might not be able to undo some of the damage done by the infection. It also does not mean that someone who got cured of syphilis will never get reinfected. Follow-up testing from healthcare providers is recommended to ensure that the treatment is a success.

Check out more news and information on Syphilis in Science Times.