The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention planned to rid Ingham County of syphilis, a bacterial sexually transmitted infection, by 2010, but recent cases have put those plans on the back burner.
Currently, there are 10 cases in Ingham County, said Vennishia Smith, HIV and STI prevention coordinator for Ingham County Health Department.
“Ten doesn’t sound like a large number, but in Ingham County we saw one case a year, if that,” Smith said. “Last year, we saw three cases, and this year we’re already at 10 cases.”
Smith also adds that most of the cases are in the population of men having sex with other men.
Erica Phillipich, sexual health educator at Olin Health Center, said there are three different stages of the infection, and it is curable
“The first stage is usually characterized by an open sore on the genitals, and that will last for two weeks. Sometimes it’s painful and sometimes it’s painless,” Phillipich said. “It just depends on the person. Once that sore heals and goes away, there’s really no outward signs.
“The secondary stage can be a skin rash that almost looks like a webbing on the skin. That is usually on the palms of hands and bottom of feet. Syphilis kind of stays latent so if someone doesn’t notice it and it goes untreated, it can eventually work it’s way into issues with your neurologic functioning. That’s usually several years down the road.” she said.
Lack of awareness about syphilis has led to the increase in cases, Smith said.
“A lot of the time you talk to people and they know about HIV, they’ve heard of chlamydia, they’ve heard of gonorrhea but not heard of syphilis,” Smith said.
“They don’t know the signs and symptoms. Also, syphilis is known as a great imitator, so people can go to the doctor with signs and symptoms of syphilis, but it can be easily missed, that’s why we encourage people to get tested.”
Testing for the infection involves a blood test, and the results are available between seven to 10 days, Smith said.
“We are encouraging people to ask their doctor for testing,” Smith said. “They can come to the Ingham County Health Department for free testing.”
Smith also suggests testing for HIV, syphilis, gonorrhea and chlamydia.”
If the patient has the infection, they can receive treatment, primarily given in the form of a shot.
“Know your partners, get tested before having sex, use condoms and limit partners,” Smith said. “Everybody is responsible for themselves.”
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