Public Health Alert: Rise in Syphilis Cases in the Capital Region

The New York State Department of Health has identified a number of new syphilis cases in the region, including individuals from Albany, Schenectady, Rensselaer and Columbia Counties, and has issued a public health warning. (See full warning below.)

For more information about syphilis and the AIDS Council’s syphilis testing services, visit our GET TESTED page.


HEALTH ADVISORY: SYPHILIS ALERT

Early infectious syphilis cases have increased 38% in New York (excluding New York City) in the first half of 2011 compared to the same period of 2010. Increases have been noted in nearly every region of the State with cases reported in both urban and rural parts of the State.

Men account for 64% of cases. Men having sex with men (MSM) is the primary risk factor with the exception of one cluster involving women and heterosexual men.

The classic clinical manifestation of primary syphilis is a transient, painless genital ulcer. Signs of secondary syphilis include a diffuse rash, often involving the palms and soles, white wart like growths in moist areas (condylomata lata), lymphadenopathy, fever and alopecia. Latent disease has no symptoms, and is defined as early latent within the first year of infection, and late latent thereafter. Untreated syphilis can result in central nervous system damage and adverse pregnancy outcomes, including stillbirth, brain injury and skeletal deformities.


What Health Care Providers Can Do to Help Control Syphilis and Other STDs

Assess risk: Conduct a complete sexual risk assessment for patients, particularly MSM. Ask patients about specific behaviors over the last 6 months such as number of partners, sex of partners, and sexual practices to guide laboratory testing. Eliciting information on the use of social networking sites to meet sex partners is part of the risk assessment.

Examine accordingly: Carefully inspect any and all exposed sites including mouth, anus, cervix and vagina, as syphilitic lesions in these locations can go unnoticed by patients.

Screen routinely for STDs and HIV in:

  • Sexually active men who have sex with men at least annually;1
  • Sexually active persons with HIV at least annually;1
  • All persons newly-diagnosed with HIV;1
  • Persons diagnosed with another STD;
  • Sex partners of a known syphilis case (partners who report exposure should receive presumptive treatment regardless of serologic test results);
  • Pregnant women at their first prenatal visit and all newborns at delivery (as mandated by New York State Law).2


1 CDC. Sexually Transmitted Diseases Treatment Guidelines 2010. MMWR 2010; 59 (No. RR-12).
2 New York State Public Health Law §2308 and 10 NYCRR § 69-2.