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Syphilis Elimination
In October 1999, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), in collaboration with federal, state and local partners, launched a national plan to eliminate syphilis from the United States to capitalize on a decade of declining rates of syphilis. The plan was designed to end the sustained transmission of the disease in the U.S. by focusing efforts on populations most affected by syphilis – heterosexual minority populations, particularly African Americans. In these populations, substantial progress has been made in reducing the burden of syphilis, yet overall syphilis rates have been on the rise since 2001, largely due to increasing rates of syphilis among men who have sex with me (MSM). In 2005, for the first time in over 10 years, the rate of primary and secondary (P&S) syphilis among women increases from 0.8 cases per 100,000 population to 0.9 cases per 100,000 population.
To overcome emerging challenges, while continuing progress among targeted populations, CDC issued an updated plan, The National Plan to Eliminate Syphilis from the United States , 2006, earlier this year. Despite recent challenges, generally low syphilis rates continue to provide an opportunity to achieve this goal. In 2005 50 percent of infectious (also called primary and secondary, or P&S) syphilis cases were reported from just 19 U.S. counties ( Cook County being one of them) and 2 cities ( Baltimore, MD and St. Louis, MO). Elimination of syphilis would remove two serious consequences of the disease – increased likelihood of HIV transmission, and serious complications in pregnancy and childbirth, such as spontaneous abortions, stillbirths, and congenital syphilis (syphilis among newborns who acquired it from their mothers).
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