What to know
- Presentation Day/Time: Wednesday, April 23, 9:00–10:25 am
- Presenter: Daniel Gore, MD, EIS officer assigned to the National Center for HIV, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and TB Prevention, Division of STD Prevention
What did we do?
- We analyzed the National Notifiable Diseases Surveillance System data for cases of early syphilis (ES) among women during 2014–2023 in the United States.
- We compared incarceration history, and sexual and substance use behaviors for women who have sex with men only (WSMO), women who have sex with women only (WSWO), and women who have sex with men and women (WSMW), to look for differences.
What did we find?
- During 2014–2023, 142,680 ES cases were reported among women; 111,457 (78.1%) had information on sex of sex partners.
- Of these cases:
- 104,212 (93.5%) occurred among WSMO,
- 787 (0.7%) among WSWO, and
- 6,458 (5.8%) among WSMW
- 104,212 (93.5%) occurred among WSMO,
- Prevalence of recent incarceration varied by population, as did injection drug use, methamphetamine use, exchange sex, and having ≥5 recent sexual partners.
Why does it matter?
- These findings underscore the need for syndemic care models that simultaneously address syphilis and substance use – particularly among WSMW and other affected populations – by improving coordination between correctional settings, substance use programs, and STI treatment facilities to ensure timely diagnosis and treatment of syphilis and connection to substance use resources.
Abstract Category: Syphilis