Advocates launched a nationwide billboard campaign warning about the dangers of syphilis in newborns

Advocates launched a nationwide billboard campaign warning about the dangers of syphilis in newborns.Credit: Business Wire ByDavid Olsondavid.olson@newsday.com@DavidOlson11November 18, 2023 Syphilis rates are rising sharply on Long Island and nationwide, causing severe illness for thousands of people across the country and leading to an increasing number of infant deaths Syphilis has been treatable for 80 years, and the spread of the bacterial disease reflects an underfunded public health system, reduced condom use and a lack of testing, experts say “We’re not doing a good job screening people, even people we think of being at high risk of being infected with syphilis,” Dr Khalil Ghanem, a professor of medicine at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore and immediate past president of the American Sexually Transmitted Diseases Association, told Newsday The number of Long Islanders newly diagnosed with early syphilis, when the disease is most infectious, more than quadrupled between 2011 and 2021, from 118 to 508, according to state Department of Health data WHAT TO KNOWThe number of reported earlysyphilis cases on Long Island more than quadrupled between 2011 and 2021, to more than 500, mirroring national and statewide trends.The number of newborn syphiliscases increased tenfold between 2012 and 2022, with more than 7% of the 3,761 cases in 2022 resulting in death, federal data shows.Babies who survive syphilismay go blind or deaf or develop other problems Thousands of older people with syphilis are diagnosed with serious medical complications every year Nationwide, there were nearly 177,000 newly reported syphilis cases in 2021, the most recent year available, compared with about 46,000 in 2011 Get the latest stories every week about health and wellness, covering topics from medicine and mental health to updates on the coronavirus and new research By clicking Sign up, you agree to ourprivacy policy Ghanem said those numbers likely are significant underestimates because of undiagnosed cases Rates of the sexually transmitted diseases gonorrhea and chlamydia, which are more widespread than syphilis and can leave women infertile, also are rising, although less rapidly than syphilis, federal and state statistics show More than a third of syphilis cases nationally are among gay and bisexual men, and rates are much higher among Black and Native American people than among whites, Latinos and Asians,according tothe Centers for Disease Control and Prevention “It’s here on Long Island, and it’s here in the city, and if you’re sexually active, it’s something to be screened for,” said Diane Bruessow, clinical lab director for the Bellmore-based LGBTQ group PFY, which is part of the Long Island Crisis Center and offers free syphilis testing Men are more likely to contract syphilis than women, but rates are rising more rapidly among women,CDC datashows That has led to a tenfold increase in syphilis cases in newborns nationwide, from 335 cases in 2012 to 3,761 in 2022,a CDC reportreleased Nov 7 says Of those 3,761 cases, known as congenital syphilis,282 resulted in stillbirths or infant deaths,compared to 18in 2012.The disease also can causelow birth weight, blindness, deafness, developmental delays and deformed bones in babies Source: NewsDay.com All Zim News is a central hub for all things Zimbabwean, curating news from across the country so no story is missed Alongside aggregation, our team of nationwide reporters provides real-time, on-the-ground coverage Stay informed and connected — reach us at admin@allzimnews.com. Source: Newsday_Com