Syphilis is across the U.S. and Oregon.
Data from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention published earlier this year show that Oregon ranks the for infection rates.
Tim Menza, medical director for Oregon Health Authority鈥檚 STD/HIV/TB section, says that the change in Oregon has been gradual, but notable.
鈥淵ear over year, it has been slowly increasing little by little, and it鈥檚 been accelerating,鈥� he said. 鈥淚n 2022 the rate of syphilis in Oregon is really the highest it鈥檚 been in recent history with almost 2,500 cases.鈥�
Syphilis is a sexually transmitted disease that鈥檚 been around for . It can also spread to a fetus during pregnancy and can be diagnosed through a blood test, with treatment usually being antibiotics like penicillin.
Symptoms range from a painless ulcer to rashes that can break out all over the body, and these can even go away on their own. This poses a challenge for diagnosing.
According to Menza, doctors who received training during the 90鈥瞫 and early 2000s can sometimes have trouble identifying the disease because rates were so low then. He says decades ago, some even thought the disease was eradicated.
鈥淭hey just don鈥檛 necessarily recognize the presentation of syphilis,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 also been called the great imitator in that it presents in a wide variety of ways.鈥�
The state is currently training physicians so they can clinically diagnose the disease more effectively.
Menza says another challenge in addressing the trend is the lack of access or late access to prenatal care and the socioeconomic factors that contribute to the spread of the disease.
鈥淪ystemic racism, poverty, housing instability, substance use, mental health, mass incarceration 鈥� in general syphilis is really a symptom of the social and economic crises at play in Oregon and in the United States,鈥� he said.
While men account for most infections, over the years the state has seen among women. have also shown more reported cases among heterosexual couples.
When someone who is pregnant is untreated or receives inadequate treatment for syphilis, that can lead to the baby contracting the disease 鈥� known as congenital syphilis, which is also on the rise in Oregon and .
In 2014, there were two reported cases of congenital syphilis in Oregon. Last year there were 37. This year there have been 27 as of early November.
If left untreated, congenital syphilis can lead to developmental issues and can even be fatal.
鈥淭en percent of babies with syphilis die, the majority are either stillborn and a smaller proportion die within the first year of life. By preventing congenital syphilis, we鈥檙e preventing the short and long-term health consequences of syphilis and babies,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e keeping babies alive and we鈥檙e ensuring pregnant people and their families don鈥檛 have to experience the trauma and sorrow of losing an infant.鈥�
Tim Menza joined OPB鈥檚 鈥淭hink Out Loud.鈥� You can listen to the full conversation here:
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