Health providers asked to increase screening as rates for this STD are rising in Pierce
Syphilis rates across Washington state have nearly doubled this year and are on the rise, according to the Washington State Department of Health.
Transmission of sexually transmitted infection is increasing among presumed heterosexuals, according to a Friday, July 23, Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department advisory to healthcare providers. The advisory asked providers to test all pregnant women for syphilis at their first prenatal visit.
Syphilis is caused by the bacterium Treponema pallidum. Primary and secondary syphilis symptoms include painless lesions, rashes and flu-like symptoms, according to the state Department of Health. Untreated syphilis can cause internal organ damage, dementia, hearing loss and blindness, according to a state health department fact sheet.
Preliminary data show an incidence of early infectious syphilis rates of 35.1 cases per 100,000 people for 2021, compared to 19.4 cases per 100,000 people in 2020. This rise is significant compared to previous years. The rate in 2019 was 11 cases per 100,000 people, the advisory and health department data state.
The rate of syphilis among Black residents across Washington state has tripled this year, compared to 2020, the advisory shows.
An increase in congenital syphilis, which occurs when a mother with syphilis passes the infection on to her baby during pregnancy, is expected to reach a historic high this year in Washington, according to Kristen Maki, a state health department spokesperson. Congenital syphilis rates have been on the rise, increasing from six cases in 2017 and 2018 to 17 cases in 2019, including four stillbirths, Maki said. Last year saw a decrease to 10 cases due to delayed medical care during the COVID-19 pandemic, Maki said, but as of early August 2021, there have been more than 17 reported cases.
Congenital syphilis can cause miscarriage, neonatal death, preterm delivery and long-term health problems in the affected child, the advisory states.
The Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department issued a previous advisory in February about the rising cases of syphilis among presumed heterosexual people, according to the county health department.
Locally, syphilis rates in Pierce County have risen from 30.8 cases per 100,000 people in 2020 to 50 cases per 100,000 in the first six months of this year, according to the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department.
Black residents in Pierce County have seen the largest increase in transmission rates — rising more than 136% in the first six months of 2021 compared to all of 2020, according to health department data. The average rate of infection in 2021 for Black Pierce County residents is 149.1 cases per 100,000, the data shows.
Providers have also seen a rise locally in congenital syphilis, according to the county health department. From 2016-2020, the average rate of congenital syphilis was 2.4 cases per year. From January to May of this year, there have been six reported cases, the data shows.
Syphilis rates in Washington have increased every year since 2013, according to the state health department.
Healthcare providers were also asked to test others when they come for care, including at emergency departments. Those people are:
▪ Sexually active and living homeless.
▪ Exchange sex for money or drugs.
▪ Use methamphetamine, heroin or cocaine.
▪ Report sexual exposure to someone with syphilis, even in the absence of signs or symptoms of infection.
More information and resources can be found online at the state health department’s website, or the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department website.
