Lydia Glenn

News Editor

lmg5921@psu.edu

Erie County health officials are urging all sexually active residents to get tested for syphilis after a record-high number of cases was reported. 

The Erie County Department of Health reported 48 cases of primary, secondary and early latent syphilis in 2021. This number is a huge spike from 10 cases in 2020 and the most cases reported in at least 31 years.

Ten more cases were also just reported for the month of January, 2022. 

Charlotte Berringer, R.N., and Director of Community Health Services for the County Health Department said, “This increase isn’t unique to Erie County or Pennsylvania, it’s part of a national trend. What is most significant is that we’re seeing more cases than ever involving women of childbearing age contracting syphilis.” 

Although syphilis is not as common as other STDs like gonorrhea or chlamydia, it is a much greater health concern. Syphilis can easily be cured with antibiotics, but it can cause blindness, heart disease, mental problems, stroke, dementia and death if not treated properly. 

It is also dangerous to women who are pregnant because they can transmit the disease to their unborn child. 

Berringer stated, “Those pregnancies are more likely to result in a miscarriage, stillbirth, premature birth or baby with a low birthweight.”

The number of cases in Erie County typically reports zero to 15 syphilis cases per year. The highest number of cases since 1990 was 42 cases in the year 2015. 2021’s cases are trailing just behind this number. 

Chlamydia cases have remained relatively stable in recent years, but gonorrhea cases rose from 2019 to 2020. Gonorrhea cases have slightly declined this year according to County Health Department data. 

One possible reason for the surge in syphilis cases could be the COVID-19 pandemic. This reason was posited by Howard Nadworny, M.D., who is a Saint Vincent Hospital infectious disease specialist and county Health Department Adviser. 

Nadworny stated, “Due to the pandemic, people weren’t seeking care for mild medical issues and left untreated, they would continue to spread the disease.”

Syphilis can be transmitted from person to person by sexual intercourse or oral sex. The initial symptom is usually a round, painless sore on the genitals or mouth. 

If the sore is left untreated, it usually heals, but that does not mean the person has been cured. 

“You still need to be treated. Penicillin is very effective at this stage of the disease,” Berringer said. 

If syphilis is not caught at the stage where the sore has formed, a person can then develop secondary syphilis. Secondary syphilis includes symptoms such as a skin rash, swollen lymph nodes and fever. 

The symptoms will eventually fade away on their own if not treated but again, the person will still remain infected with syphilis. 

The next stage of syphilis is tertiary syphilis which can occur years later in a person. It is a very severe illness, and it can damage internal organs and even cause death. 

Nadwonry said, “You want to get treated in the earlier stages before it affects your internal organs.”

Free testing and treatment for syphilis and other sexually transmitted diseases are available at the following locations: 

• Adagio Health: 3530 Peach St., Suite 120, 814-453-4718; 118 East Plum St., Edinboro, 814-734-7600
• Central Outreach Wellness Center: 3140 State St., 814-619-4009
• Community Health Net: 1202 State St., 814-455-7222; 4401 Iroquois Ave., Lawrence Park Township, 814-464-0509
• Women’s Care Center: 4408 Peach St., Suite 302, 814-868-4050

The Penn State Behrend Health and Wellness center also offers free STD testing to all students. 

“It’s important to get tested and treated, not only for your health but to stop additional spread,” Berringer concludes. 

Free testing and free treatment for syphilis and other STDs is an effective way to stop the spread, so if you or someone you know has contracted an STD, please get tested and treated right away.