INCREASE IN SYPHILIS CASES STIRS CONCERN

A state of emergency has been called for seven Missouri counties south of Cape Girardeau, due to a recent surge in the reported cases of syphilis in the region.

In a statement released by Missouri Department of Health Director John Bagby, seven Bootheel counties were identified showing marked increases in cases of syphilis, along with the St. Louis and Kansas City areas.

The counties named were Butler, Dunklin, Mississippi, Scott, Stoddard, Pemiscot and New Madrid.

In these counties, 156 cases of syphilis have been reported this year, compared to 27 in the same region for all of 1991.

Cathy Garner, a representative of the Southeast District office of the Missouri Department of Health in Poplar Bluff, said recently that every effort is being made to curb the sudden outbreak in reported syphilis.

"We have additional (Sexually Transmitted Disease) workers coming in to assist our staff in education and prevention work," Garner said.

Along with the workers from the Center For Disease Control and Prevention, the Department of Health is increasing the number of facilities and frequency of testing to try and catch the disease in its early stages.

Garner said that the recent upward flux in the number of reported cases is largely due to people having unprotected sex with multiple partners.

"What really scares me, is that if this many people are getting syphilis from sexual contact, imagine how many people are exposing themselves to the HIV virus," Garner warned. The HIV virus has been identified as the agent that causes AIDS.

Sally Loos, Southeast Missouri University Health Services coordinator, said that no cases of syphilis had been positively identified this year on the campus.

No marked increase has been recorded in the immediate Cape area, but health care officials warn people to take precautionary measures when engaging in sexual activities.

Symptoms derived from the disease appear in three phases. First, those infected may notice a small sore where the bacterium entered the body.

The secondary state of syphilis produces a rash on the hand palms and foot soles, sometimes causing an irritating itch. Carriers may also experience hair loss and sores developing in the mouth.

Late stages of the disease can cause neurological damage, blindness or even death. Syphilis enters the blood stream in a person's body and can affect any major organ, including the spinal column and brain.

Syphilis can cause sterility in people of both sexes along with inflammation and infection of the genitals. Untreated, the disease may be passed to an unborn child.

Although syphilis can be cured in all stages, the damage that has been done by the disease cannot be corrected.

The infected person must seek treatment to alleviate the symptoms; they just don't go away by themselves. Simple antibiotics can bring the disease under control, but symptoms can reoccur. No one can become immune.

Garner urges anyone who feels they might have been exposed to syphilis (whether or not they have developed symptoms) to contact a local physician, the county health department or her office.

The Missouri Health Department has established a toll free line for people to call for more information or to begin steps in seeking treatment: 1-800-554-2076.