Pubdate: Sat, 02 Nov 2002 Source: High Point Enterprise (NC) Copyright: 2002 High Point (N.C.) Enterprise Contact: http://www.hpe.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/576 Author: David Nivens Note: The Associated Press contributed to this report. Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/coke.htm (Cocaine) Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/women.htm (Women) CITY SEES INCREASE IN SYPHILIS The latest report on the battle against syphilis in Guilford County is not good. And that's not unexpected, either. Guilford is one of two North Carolina counties ranked among the worst in the nation for rates of syphilis infections, the national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported Thursday. By Friday, the news was making the rounds among health professionals who launched an education and prevention campaign against the disease in High Point earlier this year. Robeson County leads the country with 73 cases per 100,000 population in 2001, while Guilford County reported a rate of 16.6 cases per 100,000 population, the sixth highest in the country last year and unchanged from the county's 2000 rate. "We are working hard to stop syphilis, but it is hard," said Sam Parker, director of Triad Health Project, a nonprofit health agency battling the spread of all sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV. Nationally, the rate of syphilis infection in 2001 was 2.1 cases per 100,000 people, a 2 percent increase from the previous year, according to the CDC. North Carolina's rate remained higher than the national average at 5.7 cases per 100,000 people. "It's hard to stop the spread when more people are still getting it," Parker said. Health officials say the county's high rate is linked to the use of crack cocaine, which is higher than the national average. The sex-for-drugs trade also can contribute to increased infection rates. "We are getting information out, but there are so many factors involved on why the rate stays high," Parker said. The number of county syphilis cases rose slightly in 2001 to 118, up from 113 in 2000. High Point had more of those cases than Greensboro. Within the last year, Guilford County health agencies have sponsored health fairs in an effort to raise awareness about the dangers of the sexually transmitted disease. Education programs are aimed at changing sexual behavior. "This is a social crisis as well," Parker said. The national goal is to stop the sexually transmitted disease by 2005. Health officials formed a People Stopping Syphilis Today Task Force to combat the disease by reaching out to neighborhoods with confidential testing. Last year, health officials pumped $182,000 into the campaign, including $50,000 in federal funds. The federal syphilis elimination project is providing more than $15 million to problem areas nationwide. The United States is the largest industrial country that has not eradicated syphilis, according to the CDC. - --- MAP posted-by: Jackl