STD Cases Continue To Skyrocket In PA

PENNSYLVANIA — Officials are sounding the alarm as sexually transmitted diseases continues to rapidly rise around the nation, including in Pennsylvania. The state is seeing its highest numbers in more than 30 years, authorities said.

It continues a trend ongoing since before the pandemic and which the Pennsylvania Department of Health has warned about on numerous occassions over the past year.

Syphilis cases increased 28 percent in Pennsylvania in 2021, state Department of Health statistics show. That number is even higher than the increase nationwide, which the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says sits was 26 percent.

The Department of Health said that they have updated their STD web page and increased awareness campaigns in response.

These illnesses are on top of the recent monkeypox outbreak, which can also be spread through sexual contact. Pennsylvania remains among the nation's leaders in the illness, with 713 cases, according to the latest CDC data.

The syphilis spike has been on the radar of authorities for some times. A syphilis alert was issued at the statewide level by the Department of Health in February. Individual alerts were issued in Centre County in March and Delaware County in Oct. 2021.

Specifically, early syphilis cases in Pennsylvania women increased by 36 percent in 2021, from 165 to 228.

Leaders say there is still much work to be done. During a national conference hosted by the CDC on Monday, STD Director Leandro Mena said that more accountability was needed from other agencies and that the CDC "can't do it alone."

"We must work collectively to rebuild, innovate, and expand STI prevention..." Mena said. "To close existing gaps, create lasting change, and realize this vision."

Below are testing recommendations from state health officials:

All pregnant women should be offered a test for syphilis at the following intervals:

• At the first prenatal visit

• At the third trimester of pregnancy

• At the delivery of a child, or

• At the delivery of a stillborn child

• All patients with a recent positive test for another sexually transmitted disease such as gonorrhea or chlamydia need to be tested for syphilis and HIV.

All patients with any of the following symptoms or conditions should be tested for syphilis:

• A generalized rash that may be macular, papular, or papulosquamous on the back, chest, or stomach
• A lesion in the genital, rectal, or oral area
• Moist papules in the anogenital region or the mouth
• Sudden “Moth-eaten” scalp alopecia with a typical onset at the back of the head
• Loss of eyelashes and the lateral third of the eyebrows
• Generalized lymphadenopathy
• Malais

More information on syphilis including symptoms and treatment is online here.