Syphilis Among Women On The Rise
California is experiencing an alarming increase in the incidents of syphilis among women, according to new data from the California Department of Public Health.
The agency said the annual number of reported early syphilis cases among women more than doubled, from 248 cases in 2012 to 594 last year.
The number of congenital cases of the disease -- when it is passed from mother to child -- also rose dramatically, from 30 in 2012 to 100 last year.
Most of the congenital cases have been reported in Los Angeles County, the state’s most populous area, and the Central Valley, its poorest, according to the CDPH.
Children who contract the disease in utero can be stillborn, die shortly after birth or develop multiple organ problems if they are not treated shortly after delivery.
Last March, Los Angeles County health officials asked medical providers to be on the lookout for ocular cases of syphilis, which can cause blindness. Two cases were recorded in the county, with another dozen reported between the San Francisco Bay Area and Seattle.
Meanwhile, the number of stillborn births connected to syphilis in California rose from one in 2012 to six in 2014.
“The increase in congenital syphilis is particularly concerning,” said CDPH Director Karen Smith, M.D. “ It is a needless tragedy that can be prevented with good prenatal care and timely and effective treatment.”
The agency did not attribute a reason as to the rise in syphilis cases.
The disease had been on the rise more recently among gay men, and most of the recent ocular cases of the disease involved that patient population.
According to data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the infection rate per 100,000 population rose 10% between 2012 and 2013, with virtually the entire increase among men.
As for the recent increase in cases involving women, CDPH officials said they were working with local health departments to identify causes, reach out to infected pregnant women to obain treatment, and intensify efforts to follow-up on contacts of syphilis cases, particularly among women of childbearing age.
