CDC issues report warning of spike in new infections
By BOB KECSKEMETY & JEREMY JONES
Charles Martin, (photo) chief executive officer of SoBAP, cautions community about syphilis.
South Beach AIDS Project (SoBAP) has issued a syphilis alert that affects Miami- Dade and Broward counties. The alert, which was posted to SoBAP’s website, singles out South Beach, Liberty City and the Wilton Manors/Fort Lauderdale areas. It comes just days after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued a report stating that syphilis and chlamydia infection rates are on the rise.
The CDC report, “Trends in Sexually Transmitted Diseases in the United States,” states that syphilis cases continue to rise among homosexual men and young African-American men. Overall, syphilis cases continue to spiral upward. There were 5 percent more syphilis cases in the past year and a whopping 39 percent more cases since 2006.
Gonorrhea infections, however, are at their lowest since the CDC started tracking the disease in 1941.
In South Florida, the STD infection rates are alarming. Of those being tested for syphilis, more than 65 percent were co-infected with HIV/AIDS. As of June 2010, there were 141 reported cases of syphilis among gay men, and of those men, 61 percent were co-infected. In Miami-Dade, 251 gay men tested positive for syphilis, and 65 percent of them were co-infected. Additionally, 65 percent of minority gay men in the Miami/South Florida market are co-infected with syphilis and HIV.
“These are pretty daunting statistics for gay men in Miami and Fort Lauderdale,” says Charles Martin, chief executive officer of SoBAP. “Minority gay men bare a higher burden of co-infection of syphilis and HIV.”
Primary and secondary syphilis cases among young black men aged 15 to 24 continue to increase significantly — indicating a concerning new trend. Between 2005 and 2009, the primary and secondary syphilis rate among young black men aged 15 to 24 tripled (from 19.3 per 100,000 in 2005 to 58.2 in 2009). This trend, the CDC said, may also be contributing to disproportionately high rates of HIV among young black men.
While these numbers are worrisome, Martin says the statistics are actually higher since a lot of people don’t know they are infected with syphilis. And that’s due to the lack of symptoms, which can take years, if ever, to surface. Miller says that a recent STD report indicates that more than 56 percent of people are unaware they have syphilis.
“There are lot of factors at play here, including lack of protection and the fact that the I-95 corridor makes it easier for people to party between Miami and Fort Lauderdale and spread the infection. We have some of the worst and highest numbers in the country” said Martin.
Syphilis was nearly eliminated in Broward County in 1998 and officials were hopeful for total elimination within two years. However, since that year, syphilis rates have skyrocketed with officials pointing to bareback parties organized online as a major reason for the rise. An official from the Broward County Health Department did not immediately return phone calls seeking comment on the spike in infections.
Since 2000, the largest increase in syphilis cases has been among men who have sex with men. In 2009, MSM accounted for nearly two-thirds of syphilis cases, up from just 4 percent in 2000.
Blue Mannix, the testing initiative manager at the Pride Center/GLCC, said that the center does not test specifically for STDs but is aware that syphilis is on the rise.
“When we do our HIV testing to those with high-risk behaviors,” said Mannix, “we tell them they can also be exposed to gonorrhea and syphilis, and so we do recommend getting tested for STDs. Hopefully in the future we will be able to do free STD testing at the center but we do not have the funds right now.”
SoBAP, according to Martin, is hoping to offer free syphilis testing beginning early next year. That would be in addition to the free HIV testing it already offers.
