A new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows cases of syphilis are rising nationwide - particularly in South Dakota.
The agency's latest STI surveillance report shows South Dakota has a rate of 84 cases per 100,000 people. That’s the highest rate in the nation – over double the second-highest state.
Syphilis is a sexually transmitted infection, or STI, that saw low numbers nationwide in the early 2000s. But post-pandemic, it’s come back in a big way. The CDC said said infections rose nationwide in 2022 by nine percent.
Angela Cascio is the Infectious Disease Director and Deputy Administrator for the Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion at the state Department of Health. She explained part of the rise in numbers in a recent interview on SDPB's In the Moment.
“The symptoms really aren’t bothersome and they go away so individuals don’t necessarily seek care for that and because of that, the asymptomatic nature of that really allows continued spread," Cascio said. "And I think too, we’re also seeing clients are facing challenges with differential access to testing and treatment and transportation and prenatal care as well so there’s just a lot of factors involved.”
Cascio said in 2023, out of 54 cases of congenital syphilis in the state, half of the mothers didn’t receive prenatal care at all or received inconsistent care, resulting in mothers passing on their infections to their babies.
Cascio stressed the need for talking with your provider about sexual health and prevention and offers ways to get tested.
"There are many areas across the state where there are large public testing opportunities so take advantage of those. Our office offers testing as well so you can go to the South Dakota Department of Health webpage and take a look at those testing locations that are offered and find something and find something that is nearby.”
Cascio says if you’ve already had the infection once, you can still get it again, so prevention and regular testing is key.
The CDC report also showed South Dakota had the second-highest rate of gonorrhea and the tenth-highest rate of chlamydia.
