25 Early Stage Syphilis
https://www.cdc.gov/std/syphilis/default.htm
25.1 Epidemiologic Review
25.1.1 Disease Information
Early Stage Syphilis: The ‘early’ definition includes primary, secondary & early non-primary non-secondary syphilis conditions. These are the first stages of syphilis that indicate a recent infection. Primary syphilis has a single or multiple sores at the point of infection, or where syphilis entered the body. The secondary stage causes skin rashes across the body, and more sores. More information can be found on the CDC syphilis fact sheet.
Overview: Syphilis is a bacterial infection caused by the bacterium Treponema pallidum. The disease is comprised of several stages depending on the length of infection. It is highly pathogenic when exposure occurs at the earliest stage of disease.
Symptoms: Symptoms may include painless lesions or chancres in the genital area or mouth, body rash, rash on the palms or hands or soles of the feet, patchy hair loss, and flu-like symptoms.
Transmission: The disease is spread through sexual contact, usually with a partner that has a syphilitic chancre (lesion or sore). Syphilis may also be transmitted during injection drug use when needles are shared with an infected person.
Treatment: Antibiotics are the recommended form of treatment.
Prevention Use of condoms, reducing the number of sexual partners, and getting tested every 3-6 months for high risk populations can help prevent the spread of disease.
25.1.2 Demographics
Rates for <1, 1-4, 5-17, and 65+ years of age are not displayed due low case counts.
| Race | Rate per 100k |
|---|---|
| American Indian or Alaska Native | 77.5 |
| Asian | 20 |
| Black or African American | 64.6 |
| Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander | 39.8 |
| Other Race | 27.2 |
| Two or More Races | <5 cases |
| Unknown | <5 cases |
| White | 25.1 |
Rates for American Indian or Alaska Native, Black or African American, and Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islanders are elevated.
Rates for Unknown Race are not displayed due low case counts.
| Ethnicity | Rate per 100k |
|---|---|
| Hispanic or Latino | 39.2 |
| Not Hispanic or Latino | 20.5 |
| Unknown | <5 cases |
Rates for Hispanic or Latino people are elevated.
Rates for Unknown Ethnicity are not displayed due to low case counts.
25.1.4 Monthly and Historical Comparisons
In 2022, the number of early stage Syphilis cases diagnosed in Salt Lake County reached an all-time high. The entire country has been experiencing similar increases for several years.
Data for Utah and the CDC were retrieved from the CDC’s Notifiable Infectious Disease Data Tables and were available up until 2020.