To link to this article from your blog or webpage, copy and paste the url below into your blog or homepage.
Syphilis
an article by our site
In mid-1991 the Center for Disease Control announced that the rate of syphilis in the U.S. had reached its highest point in four decades. The rate was reported at 20 cases per 100,000 people in 1990 compared to 29 cases per 100,000 in 1949 versus 11 cases per 100,000 in 1985. Black men are experiencing the biggest increase while rates have declined among whites. Between 1985 and 1990 the rate for black men rose from 69 per 100,000 to 156 per 100,000. For black women during the same period the rate increased from 36 to 116 per 100,000. Among white males the rates have declined from six to three per 100,000, while the rate for white females has remained constant at two per 100,000. The highest rates occur in urban areas, with seven large cities reporting rates of more than 100 per 100,000 people (or five times the national average), with Atlanta being the highest at 222 per 100,000. ("Syphilis, Epidemic Among Blacks, Hits 40-year High," Associated Press, May 11, 1991)
The rate of primary and secondary (P&S) syphilis reported in the United States decreased during the 1990s; in 2000, the rate was the lowest since reporting began in 1941. Although the rate of P&S syphilis in the United States declined 89.7% during 1990–2000, the rate increased annually during 2001–2009 before decreasing in 2010. The 2011 rate remained unchanged. Overall increases in rates were observed primarily among men (increasing from 3.0 cases per 100,000 population in 2001 to 8.2 cases in 2011). After persistent declines during 1992–2003, the rate among women increased from 0.8 cases (in 2004) to 1.5 cases (in 2008) per 100,000 population, declining to 1.1 cases per 100,000 population in 2010 and 1.0 cases per 100,000 population in 2011. In 2011, 13,970 cases were reported. (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
In addition, syphilis cases in babies have increased 500 percent from 1983 to 1990. The Center For Disease Control announced in July 1991 that there were 1747 U.S. babies born with congenital syphilis in 1989 and 7219 babies born with congenital syphilis in 1990. (Bacon, Kenneth H., "Defying Demographics," The Wall Street Journal Reports, Friday, March 9, 1990, p. R24) In 2000, 529 cases of congenital syphilis – infants acquiring infection from their mothers during pregnancy or delivery – were reported. In 2011, 360 cases of congenital syphilis were reported. (http://www.cdc.gov/std/media/FactsSyph11-28-01.htm)
SYPHILIS, PRIMARY AND SECONDARY. Incidence, by sex in United States, 1995–2010 (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
STDs are a significant health challenge facing the United States. CDC estimates that 19 million new STD infections occur every year in this country, nearly half among young people ages 15–24. Each of these infections is a potential threat to an individual’s immediate and long-term health and well-being. In addition to increasing a person’s risk for HIV infection, STDs can lead to severe reproductive health complications, such as infertility. STDs are also a serious drain on the U.S. health care system, costing the nation about $17 billion in health care costs every year. (CDC Fact sheet, STD Trends in the United States, 2011 National Data for Chlamydia, Gonorrhea, and Syphilis, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)