The North Carolina Division of Public Health has noted a disturbing issue in the state; increases in sexually transmitted infections and of note a doubling of syphilis cases the same time period last year.
Throughout the state during the first nine months of 2009 there were 684 cases of syphilis reported. During the same period in 2008 there were 359 cases and this is causing the state to increase its efforts in education, outreach and testing.
The Division of Public Health is partnering with the local health departments to provide free testing. Some areas like Forsyth County have even offered Wal-Mart gift cards to those that get tested for HIV ad syphilis.
One important message for people infected with syphilis is its easily treatable and preventable and having the disease puts you at greater risk of contracting HIV.
Syphilis is a sexually transmitted infection (STI) caused by the bacterium, Treponema pallidum. The most common way to get syphilis is by having sexual contact (oral, genital or anal) with an infected person. The secondary lesions are also infective and contact with them could transmit the bacteria. It can also be transmitted from an infected mother to her baby (congenital transmission). It can also be transmitted through blood transfusion, though extremely rare because of testing of donors.
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