The number of syphilis cases in one Utah county has risen 800 percent in just four years, and the number is expected to continue to rise.
State health officials warned that sexually transmitted disease is increasing at an “alarming” rate in Salt Lake County, Utah, especially among women of childbearing age.
This increases the risk of congenital syphilis in newborns, which increases nearly tenfold in states like Mississippi.
The condition increases a child’s chance of developing bone damage, anemia, jaundice, nerve damage and meningitis.
SYPHILIS: The above map shows the percentage change in the number of syphilis cases from 2017 to 2021. The disease is exploding in the US after reaching such low levels in 2001 that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention suggested it could be eradicated
Nearly half of Salt Lake County’s population is Mormon. The community strongly discourages contraceptives such as condoms, which have been shown to prevent syphilis
The increase is consistent with national data released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which shows that STDs such as syphilis and gonorrhea are increasing year over year.
The increase could be due to a lack of access to contraceptives shown to reduce STD risk, such as condoms, which are discouraged by the state’s largely religious population.
About 60 percent of Utahns are members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, commonly known as the Mormon Church. Just under half of Salt Lake County residents identify as Mormon.
According to state health data, the number of cases of syphilis in women increased 800 percent from 2018 to 2022, from three to 27 cases. Experts expect that number to double this year.
Of the cases, 89 percent involved women aged 15 to 44.
Syphilis is a bacterial infection that is usually contracted by having sex with an infected person.
It spreads through close contact with an infected sore, which usually happens during vaginal, oral, or anal sex.
Infected pregnant women can pass the STD to their unborn babies, which can lead to miscarriages or stillbirths.
Symptoms of syphilis may not always be obvious at first and may eventually go away
Syphilis can also be spread by sharing needles with an infected person.
Symptoms are not always obvious and may eventually disappear. These include small or painless sores on the genitals, blotchy red rash on the palms of the hands or soles of the feet, skin growths around a woman’s vulva or anus, white patches in the mouth, fatigue, headache, fever, and swollen lymph nodes.
Patients experience ulcers two to twelve weeks after exposure. These disappear, but one to six months later a rash appears that covers the entire body.
Patients who fail to get their disease treated may also develop tertiary syphilis, a serious disease that severely damages vital organs – including the heart and brain.
If left untreated, syphilis can spread to the brain or elsewhere in the body and cause disability or death.
The disease is diagnosed through a blood test and can be treated with an antibiotic given by injection
The treatment usually consists of an antibiotic injection in the buttocks or a course of tablets.
People can reduce their risk by using condoms during sex, using a dental dam (plastic square) during oral sex, and avoiding sharing sex toys.
The majority of cases in women of childbearing age increase the risk of congenital syphilis, which occurs when an infected mother passes the STD to her baby during pregnancy.
Figures from the CDC show that 3,761 babies were born with the condition in the US in 2022, up from 335 in 2012.