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Health officials in Houston, Texas, are grappling with a syphilis outbreak among the population.
The city’s health department reported Thursday that there was a 128 percent increase in cases of the illness among women in the area and “a nine-fold rise in congenital syphilis in Houston and Harris County.”
Syphilis is a sexually transmitted infection (STI) that could have serious complications if an individual leaves it untreated, per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
“You can get syphilis by direct contact with a syphilis sore during vaginal, anal, or oral sex,” the agency explains, also noting, “Syphilis can spread from a mother with syphilis to her unborn baby.”
Health officials are preparing a response to increase screenings while focusing on hotspots and mobilizing community partners to help curb additional infections among individuals, the health department’s news release continued:
Statistics from the department indicate new infections rose from 1,845 in 2019 to 2,905 in 2022, a 57 percent increase.
