Syphilis Prevention Coalition_ Working To Curb a Rise in Syphilis Cases 

Florida Department of Health in Leon County (DOH Leon) Medical Executive Director Dr. George Rust and STD Regional Program Manager Dale Harrison provided the welcome and opening remarks at the Second Quarterly Syphilis Prevention Coalition Meeting held on Friday, November 5 in an online zoom webinar. The timing was especially important as Leon County, like the rest of the nation, is seeing a resurgence of syphilis. New numbers are alarming:

In the United States, more than 129,800 syphilis cases were recorded in 2019, double the case count of five years prior. In the same time period, cases of congenital syphilis quadrupled: 1,870 babies were born with the disease; 128 died. Case counts from 2020 are still being finalized, but the CDC has said that reported cases of congenital syphilis have already exceeded the prior year. Black, Hispanic and Native American babies are disproportionately at risk.

 DOH Leon is paying particular and specific attention to this increase. The coalition meeting was part of continuing efforts by the Department to collaborate with key community stakeholders including physicians, hospitals, and community-based health organizations to increase awareness and decrease syphilis rates. There were 44 registered participants. In 2021, Leon County has so far documented seven cases of congenital syphilis. That’s more than in the previous two years combined.

 In his opening remarks to the meeting, Dr. Rust emphasized that efforts to address this rise in rates must include focus on: point of care syphilis testing and treatment for women while in the healthcare provider’s office during prenatal care; and moving rapid testing and screening out to segments of the community where the risk of infection is high, by setting up targeted mobile outreach and education events.  The conference webinar’s lead presenter was Rhonda Fetzko, Registered Nursing Consultant with the Florida Department of Health.

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