Erie County's syphilis cases on increase

More syphilis cases have been reported in Erie County during the past nine months than during any nine-month span since at least 1995.

Eighteen cases were reported between July 2013 and March 2014, the most recent period for which data is available from the Erie County Department of Health. Five of those cases were found in 2014.

"It's a significant number. It's a concern," said Charlotte Berringer, R.N., the department's director of community health. "This isn't going away."

The county's number of syphilis cases is still much lower than the number of other sexually transmitted diseases like chlamydia and gonorrhea, but health officials are worried because syphilis can cause serious health problems if left untreated.

Those complications include paralysis, blindness, dementia and death. Pregnant women can transmit syphilis to their unborn babies, increasing their risk of premature birth or stillborn birth.

"Having syphilis also increases your risk of contracting HIV because you often have an open sore, which can be a point of entry for the HIV," Berringer said.

Berringer said she doesn't know why syphilis cases are on the rise, but counties across the United States and cities in Europe and Asia are also reporting increases.

It seems to be affecting people older than the typical adolescent or young adult who picks up a sexually transmitted disease, said Susan Scriven, a nurse practitioner with Adagio Health Erie, 240 W. 11th St.

"We aren't seeing as many teens with syphilis. We're seeing people in their 30s, 40s and 50s," Scriven said.

Treatment is the same, as long as the disease is in its early stages. One dose of antibiotics usually cures syphilis.

But the patient has to visit a doctor's office or clinic to be tested and treated. Adagio Health, Community Health Net and the county Health Department all provide free and confidential STD testing.

"A lot of patients may not even realize they are infected," Scriven said. "A common symptom is a painless sore on their genitals, which might not even be noticed."

Health officials are also frustrated when asking syphilis patients about their sexual partners, a common way to identify and treat others.

"They often want to protect people or they don't want it to get back to them," Scriven said. "Sometimes they don't know the person's name."
