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Syphilis cases spike in North Carolina

88.5 WFDD - Public Radio For The Piedmont | By Neal Charnoff
Published April 14, 2023 at 10:21 AM EDT
This 1966 microscope photo made available by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows a tissue sample with the presence of the bacterium responsible for causing syphilis. North Carolina saw a 23% increase in syphilis cases between 2021 and 2022. (Skip Van Orden/CDC via AP)

This 1966 microscope photo made available by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows a tissue sample with the presence of the bacterium responsible for causing syphilis. North Carolina saw a 23% increase in syphilis cases between 2021 and 2022. (Skip Van Orden/CDC via AP)

Syphilis cases are on the rise in North Carolina. The problem has become especially acute for women and babies.

According to the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, there was a 23% increase in syphilis cases from 2021 to 2022.

And cases among women saw a 133% jump between 2019 and 2022. Officials say this has led to an increase in syphilis in babies, known as congenital syphilis.

The numbers were released during Sexually Transmitted Infection Awareness Week.

Medical experts point to several factors that led to the increase in cases. It’s believed that many people delayed regular STI testing during the pandemic. A lack of condom use is also cited.

NCDHHS officials say there are several paths to reducing the risk of contracting STIs, including remaining monogamous, getting tested regularly, discussing sexual history with your partner, and using condoms.

It's noted that congenital syphilis is preventable through early detection and treatment during pregnancy.

The state is encouraging people to visit the NCDHHS website to learn more about syphilis and public health options for people who may have contracted an STI.
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Health & Safety syphilissexually transmitted diseasessexually transmitted infectionsSTINorth Carolina Department of Health and Human ServicesNCDHHS
Neal Charnoff
Neal Charnoff joined 88.5 WFDD as Morning Edition host in 2014. Raised in the Catskill region of upstate New York, he graduated from Sarah Lawrence College in 1983. Armed with a liberal arts degree, Neal was fully equipped to be a waiter. So he prolonged his arrested development bouncing around New York and L.A. until discovering that people enjoyed listening to his voice on the radio. After a few years doing overnight shifts at a local rock station, Neal spent most of his career at Vermont Public Radio. He began as host of a nightly jazz program, where he was proud to interview many of his idols, including Dave Brubeck and Sonny Rollins. Neal graduated to the news department, where he was the local host for NPR's All Things Considered for 14 years. In addition to news interviews and features, he originated and produced the Weekly Conversation On The Arts, as well as VPR Backstage, which profiled theater productions around the state. He contributed several stories to NPR, including coverage of a devastating ice storm. Neal now sees the value of that liberal arts degree, and approaches life with the knowledge that all subjects and all art forms are connected to each other. Neal and his wife Judy are enjoying exploring North Carolina and points south. They would both be happy to never experience a Vermont winter again.
See stories by Neal Charnoff

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