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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Officials: Syphilis outbreak worsening

Associated Press

BOISE – A syphilis outbreak that started in 2003 is worsening in Canyon County and parts of Southern Idaho, health officials say.

Since the outbreak began, the Southwest District Health Department has found 104 cases of the sexually transmitted disease in its region, which covers six counties in southwestern Idaho. Most of the cases have been in Canyon County.

The cases have been spread evenly among men and women. Half of those infected have been jailed in the past, and 70 percent admitted to being users of methamphetamine, officials said.

One 15-year-old girl has been diagnosed twice in the past two years with the disease, according to health district staff.

“It’s frightening to think we’ve had someone who’s 15 and has had it twice,” said Laurie Boston, Southwest District Health spokeswoman.

Seven babies have been born with the disease in the district since 2003: enough of a bump to make Idaho the state with the sixth-highest rate of congenital syphilis in the nation, Boston said. The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that during 2003 – the latest year figures are available – four babies were born with syphilis in Idaho.

Some scattered cases have been diagnosed in Ada County, and Lincoln County and the Twin Falls area have also seen an increase, Boston said.

Health department officials said last year that the outbreak began with one case in Homedale and was quickly spreading among the young Hispanic population. In an effort to stem the disease’s spread, the district increased the number of staffers who deal with the disease and assigned case managers to each pregnant mother who tested positive for syphilis.

The district also teamed up with the Idaho Migrant Council and Terry Reilly Health Services to educate the public about the outbreak and teach them what symptoms to watch for and how to get tested. The efforts had some success.

“The Hispanic population is coming down,” said Jacque Walker, preventive health manager for Southwest District Health.

Still, the outbreak is rapidly spreading among drug users, and health district officials are focusing education efforts on bars and organizations that deal with addicts. It’s tough for health workers to track sexual partners of infected people because drug users may have had multiple partners or may not remember who their partners were, officials said.

“It’s really difficult to get them into treatment because they live such chaotic lives, and they’re fearful of contact with authorities,” Walker said.

Syphilis is a bacterial infection and can be deadly if it’s left untreated. The first symptom is often a chancre – a painless, open sore – where the person came into contact with the bacteria. Several weeks later those infected may develop a skin rash. The disease then may go into a latent stage, producing no symptoms for months or years. The final stage of syphilis can damage the nervous system, heart and eyes and can even cause death.

“You can have it in your body for years and not know you have it until you have different things making you sick,” Boston said.

A blood test is the only way to know for sure if you have the disease.

In 1999, there were two cases of syphilis in Southwest District Health’s region, and none in 2000. One case was confirmed in 2001, nine cases in 2002, 38 in 2003 and 46 in 2004. So far, 20 cases have been confirmed in 2005, Boston said.