State health officials are warning about a spike in syphilis cases.In Milwaukee, the number of cases is 300% higher, than pre-pandemic levels.The Milwaukee Health Department called the spike in syphilis cases an alarming trend that has hit epidemic levels. Syphilis is a sexually transmitted disease. It can cause serious damage to other organs, including the brain, and is very dangerous for unborn babies.Most of the increase in syphilis cases is in females of reproductive age, according to the state Department of Health Services. Dr. Ryan Westergaard, chief medical officer and state epidemiologist for communicable diseases with Wisconsin DHS, said the majority of the cases were in Black, non-Hispanic patients. He also said that women over the age of 29-years-old experienced the most significant increase.”There are communities in Milwaukee that are medically underserved, don’t have access to the screening treatment and preventative care that many other residents do and racial disparities in sexually transmitted infections is one of the problems that we dealt with for a long time,” Westergaard said. Westergaard said socio-economic stress, especially during the pandemic, likely lead to increased risky sexual behaviors.”Sex without a condom, sex with unknown partners, sex that occurs in exchange for money or drugs, which are behaviors people engage in when they’re desperate economically,” Westergaard said. “When those risk behaviors go up, sexually transmitted diseases and HIV can follow.”Westergaard said they are concerned the spike in syphilis may mean a spike in HIV down the road. “Where we see clusters of syphilis, we are always concerned that we will also see clusters of HIV because they are transmitted the same way and they are similarly tracked along lines of socio-economic status and race,” Westergaard said. The state is recommending that pregnant women be tested twice, if they live in one of the six Wisconsin counties with high case counts.Those counties are: Milwaukee, Waukesha, Racine, Brown, Dane and Winnebago.State and local health officials are also urging health providers to ramp up their preventative and comprehensive care. “Access to medical care makes a difference when it comes to preventing in prevention, routine screening and also education about how to have safer sex, access to condoms are all important things,” Westergaard said.
MADISON, Wis. —
State health officials are warning about a spike in syphilis cases.
In Milwaukee, the number of cases is 300% higher, than pre-pandemic levels.
The Milwaukee Health Department called the spike in syphilis cases an alarming trend that has hit epidemic levels.
Syphilis is a sexually transmitted disease. It can cause serious damage to other organs, including the brain, and is very dangerous for unborn babies.
Most of the increase in syphilis cases is in females of reproductive age, according to the state Department of Health Services.
Dr. Ryan Westergaard, chief medical officer and state epidemiologist for communicable diseases with Wisconsin DHS, said the majority of the cases were in Black, non-Hispanic patients. He also said that women over the age of 29-years-old experienced the most significant increase.
“There are communities in Milwaukee that are medically underserved, don’t have access to the screening treatment and preventative care that many other residents do and racial disparities in sexually transmitted infections is one of the problems that we dealt with for a long time,” Westergaard said.
Westergaard said socio-economic stress, especially during the pandemic, likely lead to increased risky sexual behaviors.
“Sex without a condom, sex with unknown partners, sex that occurs in exchange for money or drugs, which are behaviors people engage in when they’re desperate economically,” Westergaard said. “When those risk behaviors go up, sexually transmitted diseases and HIV can follow.”
Westergaard said they are concerned the spike in syphilis may mean a spike in HIV down the road.
“Where we see clusters of syphilis, we are always concerned that we will also see clusters of HIV because they are transmitted the same way and they are similarly tracked along lines of socio-economic status and race,” Westergaard said.
The state is recommending that pregnant women be tested twice, if they live in one of the six Wisconsin counties with high case counts.
Those counties are: Milwaukee, Waukesha, Racine, Brown, Dane and Winnebago.
State and local health officials are also urging health providers to ramp up their preventative and comprehensive care.
“Access to medical care makes a difference when it comes to preventing in prevention, routine screening and also education about how to have safer sex, access to condoms are all important things,” Westergaard said.