USPSTF Urges High-Risk Individuals To Take Syphilis Screening, Cases Of The STD Continue To Increase

Among the many figures increasing today is the number of syphilis cases in the United States. It reached its highest in 10 years on 2014 which alarmed U.S. health authorities that concrete steps to slow down the rate of syphilis are immediately needed.

Last June 7, US Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) released a recommendation and evidence summary published by JAMA that urges high-risk individuals to schedule a syphilis screening. The report is specifically intended for asymptomatic and nonpregnant people including sexually-active homosexual men and HIV-positive patients.

According to the USPSTF report, 15 percent of people with syphilis will suffer from late-stage progression if they continue to ignore the disease. Late-stage syphilis is characterized with inflammatory body lesions that may cause cardiovascular and/or organ collapse.

Early screening for syphilis would greatly help the high-risk individual prevent a serious disease from developing. Moreover, screening paves the way for antibiotic treatment that will benefit the health of the patient. There is nothing to lose and everything to gain.

The USPSTF report mentions nontreponemal and treponemal antibody tests as the most common screening test for syphilis. Highly-sensitive and specific screening algorithms are also available for accurate syphilis detection.

Possible harms that screening may cause to a high risk individual are the following: false-positive results for further clinical evaluation, uncalled-for anxiety, and the stigma of having a sexually transmitted infection. The USPSTF emphasizes, fortunately, that these harms are "no greater than small," including what may result from antibiotic treatment.

Cost of Syphilis Screening and Treatment

The limitation of the report which USPSTF recognizes is that it did not consider service costs of screening for syphilis. Nonetheless, there is available data on the medical costs that syphilis patients would be burdened with for screening and treatment.

Through research and analysis, Guttmacher Institute came up with the final cost of $444 per syphilis case in the year 2000. The study used conservative estimates of service prices and excluded costs of follow-up visits.

The costs are different now as new screening tests and anti-biotics have emerged throughout the years, considering also inflation of prices. Individuals must still be vigilant and prioritize their health through getting screened and treated early.  

Eliminating Syphilis Cases In The United States

In an October 1999 report of Centers for Disease Control (CDC), the U.S. national plan was to decrease syphilis incidents and narrow it down to 1,000 or fewer cases by 2005. It cited five strategies: strengthened community involvement and partnerships, rapid outbreak response, enhanced surveillance, expanded clinical and laboratory services, and enhanced health promotion.

To accomplish these strategies, there must be cooperation from opinion leaders and program managers in all levels of the nation, from the local to national authorities. Members of the community must also collaborate with their leaders to ensure success.

Unfortunately, the plan has clearly failed with 19,999 reported cases of syphilis in 2014 (via USPSTF report). Now, high-risk individuals must follow USPSTF and get screened the soonest.

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