Alaska Chief Medical Officer Dr. Anne Zink is concerned about the rising incidence of congenital syphilis within the state. These rates have increased steadily over the period of the years of 2018 to 2022 as per the Alaska Division of Public Health.
A woman pregnant with syphilis may transmit the disease to her child in the course of pregnancy. The condition can cause grave complications such as premature birth or stillbirth, or babies born blind or bones that are deformed.
Zink claimed that the rise in congenital syphilis is a reflection of an rising incidence of the incidence of syphilis throughout the state.
“It’s an entirely preventable disease,” said Zink. “So we’ve got tests for it. We can treat it. If we fail to find a mother who has been diagnosed with syphilis when she was pregnant with the child, the child may suffer from lifelong problems, and expose the child to risk of stillbirth and miscarriage.”
Zink stated that the state has been recommending new guidelines to prevent. In the past, health professionals had to test at least one time during pregnancy, then according to the risk profiles. Now, the state advises that pregnant women undergo tests at least twice during pregnancy, and then once after the time of birth.
Zink stated that syphilis is treated with one shot, however there is an overall shortage of single-shot treatments. The state is working on solving the issue, but currently women who are expecting and living in unstable housing are the most likely candidates for treatment.
Zink says that children with congenital syphilis usually come from mothers who had no access to quality prenatal medical care. A lot of these mothers were homeless, and reported that they were taking hard drugs like methamphetamine, amphetamine, heroin or cocaine prior to giving birth.
Zink co-signed a letter to health professionals outlining new guidelines based on increasing incidence of syphilis as well as lack of treatment for first-line patients. She encouraged health care professionals to check for syphilis every time patients come into contact with medical professionals.
“Maybe it’s an urgent care orthopedic clinic or an Emergency department” explained Zink. “That could be the only occasion when someone who is experiencing addiction or homelessness may be entering and exiting of the health system, or it could be an addiction treatment center.”
Zink said that rates of syphilis have been decreasing over time, which means health professionals may not have received adequate training on the condition. Zink said that the rates for sexually transmitted illnesses tend to be higher in Alaska over other states. However, Alaska isn’t alone She said that syphilis is one the major health problems facing public health all over the world.
