Syphilis Warning Issued to Americans

Experts have sounded the alarm after new data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention showed an 80 percent rise in cases of syphilis in the U.S. over the last five years.

"Our nation is facing a rapidly deteriorating public health crisis with real lives at stake," the National Coalition of STD [sexually transmitted diseases] Directors said in a statement commenting on the figures.

In 2022, more than 2.5 million cases of syphilis, gonorrhea and chlamydia were reported across the United States. The most significant increases were seen in syphilis, with 203,500 cases reported in 2022, up 79 percent over a five-year period, the CDC data showed.

Syphilis is a sexually transmitted infection caused by the bacterium Treponema pallidum. It can also be passed from a mother to her unborn baby. Without adequate treatment, the disease can result in serious health problems and even death.

The infection develops in several stages, each with its own symptoms. The first stage is usually characterized by a single or multiple sores around the genitals or mouth, depending on where the infection entered your body. These usually disappear within three to six weeks, but it is important to still receive treatment early to avoid the disease moving into stage two.

In the secondary stage, patients may develop skin rashes that slowly move to other parts of the body. Often this is followed by a latent stage with no symptoms at all, and most people who contract syphilis do not develop the third and final stage of the disease. However, for those that do, tertiary syphilis can affect many different organs, including the heart and brain, causes serious damage to internal organs and in some cases death.

Perhaps the most concerning data was seen in the number of congenital syphilis cases—those passed from a mother to her child. Over the last 5 years, reports of congenital syphilis have increased by 183.4 percent.

However, there is some good news: while gonorrhea cases have been on the rise in recent years, 2022 saw an 8.7 percent decrease in cases across the nation. Even so, this is still higher than reported levels in 2019.

"STIs—especially syphilis—will continue to spiral out of control until the administration and Congress provide communities with the funding they need to provide the most basic screening, treatment, and prevention services," the National Coalition of STD Directors said.

"The newly announced federal syphilis task force and the limited import of Extencilline [syphilis medication] are steps in the right direction, but the nation needs a response that fully meets the moment."

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