Shiloh
Editor, Senior Moderator
Source: http://www.alaskadispatch.com/article/20140527/syphilis-outbreak-ramps-alaska
Syphilis outbreak ramps up in Alaska
Laurel Andrews
May 27, 2014
New data released Monday underscores concerns of public health officials about a growing syphilis outbreak in Alaska that is linked to an uptick in HIV cases.
Disease transmission has ?really kind of ramped up,? said Susan Jones, HIV and STD program manager for the Alaska Department of Health and Social Services.
The department first began talking about the trend last month. In a release posted Monday, officials identified some of the demographics surrounding the new cases.
In 2013, 32 new confirmed cases of syphilis were reported, a nearly 60 percent increase over the year before. Most cases were in Anchorage, and most of those infected, 26, were men. Nearly all those men identified as being bisexual, gay, or having had sex with other men.
Of the people who were interviewed by the department, roughly half of those infected in 2013 reported that they found sexual partners online, through sites such as Craigslist and Grindr. Earlier in May, Jones identified this trend as an alarming factor in the spread of sexually transmitted disease.
In one of the 2013 cases, a pregnant woman infected with syphilis gave birth to a stillborn infant after she passed the disease to her child.
In 2014, the outbreak continues. By April, 22 cases of syphilis had been identified, and ?we still have other cases coming in? that have not been added to that tally, Jones said.
All the 2014 cases were men, and 91 percent said they had sex with men. Most of the 2014 cases were in Anchorage, Jones said. Eighty percent of people reported they used Internet sites to find sexual partners.
Coupled with the increase in syphilis is an uptick in HIV infection rates...
Syphilis outbreak ramps up in Alaska
Laurel Andrews
May 27, 2014
New data released Monday underscores concerns of public health officials about a growing syphilis outbreak in Alaska that is linked to an uptick in HIV cases.
Disease transmission has ?really kind of ramped up,? said Susan Jones, HIV and STD program manager for the Alaska Department of Health and Social Services.
The department first began talking about the trend last month. In a release posted Monday, officials identified some of the demographics surrounding the new cases.
In 2013, 32 new confirmed cases of syphilis were reported, a nearly 60 percent increase over the year before. Most cases were in Anchorage, and most of those infected, 26, were men. Nearly all those men identified as being bisexual, gay, or having had sex with other men.
Of the people who were interviewed by the department, roughly half of those infected in 2013 reported that they found sexual partners online, through sites such as Craigslist and Grindr. Earlier in May, Jones identified this trend as an alarming factor in the spread of sexually transmitted disease.
In one of the 2013 cases, a pregnant woman infected with syphilis gave birth to a stillborn infant after she passed the disease to her child.
In 2014, the outbreak continues. By April, 22 cases of syphilis had been identified, and ?we still have other cases coming in? that have not been added to that tally, Jones said.
All the 2014 cases were men, and 91 percent said they had sex with men. Most of the 2014 cases were in Anchorage, Jones said. Eighty percent of people reported they used Internet sites to find sexual partners.
Coupled with the increase in syphilis is an uptick in HIV infection rates...