According to health officials, the number of cases of Syphilis in Alaska rose dramatically last year. This is a continuation of a trend in a state with one of the highest rates of sexually transmitted disease in the country, according to Alaskan health officials.
According to the bulletin published Wednesday by the state Division of Public Health, Alaska had 447 cases of Syphilis in 2017. This is 24% more than the 2020 total. According to the bulletin, cases were nearly evenly divided between men and women. 89% of the cases were reported by urban residents. Five cases were classified as congenital. This means that they were among infected babies.
Syphilis can be deadly for infants.
According to the bulletin, the rise in syphilis was a national trend. The bulletin stated that persistent factors such as substance abuse, poverty, and a lack of stable housing are compounded by COVID-19, which impeded access to care for infected people.
Despite other states’ rising rates, Alaska’s problem with sexually transmitted disease stands out.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Alaska had in 2020 the third-highest rates for syphilis and Chlamydia and eighth for gonorrhea.
Alaska case numbers began their dramatic rise in 2019, more then doubling from the year before jumping to 323 by 2020, which was then followed by 447 in 2021.
This trend appears to be continuing into 2022. Clinton Bennett, spokesperson for the Department of Health, stated that so far in 2018, there have been at least eight cases of congenital siphilis.
Bennett stated that there are many factors that can lead to such high rates of Alaskans.
He suggested that Alaska’s young population is a contributing factor. Rates of sexually transmitted diseases are higher in teens and young adults. He said that other factors could include reduced access to healthcare — even Anchorage, which is the largest city — where homeless people, who are more affected than others, have difficulty getting to a clinic to receive treatment or testing.
He said that there are not many options for testing or treatment, and Alaska’s infrastructure in public health is less developed than other states. This impacts outreach and partner work.
The epidemiology bulletin contains 15 recommendations to help diagnose syphilis better and prevent its spread. These recommendations include screening all pregnant patients at their first prenatal visit, as well as possible follow-up screenings. Administration of pregnancy tests for patients with reproductive-aged Syphilis; periodic comprehensive screening for patients in high-risk groups for multiple sexually transmitted diseases.
Bennett pointed out that Alaska requires the initial screening for syphilis in pregnant women. This is already required by the epidemiology bulletin.
Alaska is not the only state facing increasing rates of syphilis, or other sexually transmitted diseases.
Public health officials in Washington’s King County have seen a fivefold increase in the incidence of syphilis among women, since 2015. This includes an increase of congenital cases in babies. This danger has prompted health officials recommend routine syphilis screenings to all sexually active females 45 and under.
This trend is also seen outside the United States. The COVID-19 pandemic has been blamed for disrupting HIV testing in Europe and delivering a setback towards the goal of eliminating this disease.
The Alaska Beacon originally published this story. It is republished with permission.
