Clark County, Nevada, where Las Vegas is the largest city, was ranked first in the nation for rates of primary and secondary syphilis in 2017, according to the Southern Nevada Health District (SNHD).
In 2018, more than 1,000 cases of infectious syphilis cases were reported.
In addition, cases of congenital syphilis have been steadily increasing at an alarming rate in Clark County. In 2016, there were nine reported cases, in 2017 there were 20 cases, and in 2018 there were 24 cases of congenital syphilis in Clark County.
Congenital syphilis is a preventable condition that results from untreated syphilis during pregnancy. Potential consequences for the infected baby include stillbirth, neonatal death, blindness, deafness and skeletal deformations.
The SNHD describes the signs and symptoms of infectious syphilis as follows:
Primary Syphilis: Sore(s) at the original site of infection – on or around genitals, anus, or mouth
Secondary Syphilis: Skin rash, fever, swollen lymph nodes
Early Non-Primary Non-Secondary Syphilis: The individual was infected within the past year and is infectious, but there are no visible symptoms
Syphilis can be cured with antibiotics.
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