Syphilis, a sexually transmitted disease (STD)which seemed to have disappeared or had been controlled over the years, has now re-emerged as a major public health problem in many rural, urban and suburban communities. The progression of current rate of syphilis which erupted in Baltimore during the later part of 1994, has continued unabated, most especially, among ethnic minorities. With the current rate of 270 per 100,000 live-births for congenital syphilis and 99.9 per 100,000 population for primary, secondary and latent syphilis (96% of the cases being among non-white population), Baltimore becomes the city with the highest syphilis cases in the nation, surpassing the national average of 2.6 per 100,000 population. The study which utilizes a combination of retrospective and questionnaire-oriented approach was designed to assess factors that influenced the high incidence of syphilis among Baltimore inner-city dwellers between 1994 and 1998. Data were collected from private physicians, the Baltimore City Health Department, STD clinics, the Center for Disease Control and ethnographic interviews. Factors favoring the distribution and infectivity of the disease among the inner-city dwellers included poverty, lower educational background, exchange of sex for crack cocaine and inappropriate health promotion and education programs for the ethnic minorities. The paper calls for culturally-sensitive and competent syphilis elimination health promotion/education programs for ethnic minorities in Baltimore.
Learning Objectives: 1. Identify major factors influencing the epidemic of Syphilis among ethnic minorities in Baltimore, Md. 2. Discuss the major complications of primary, secondary, latent and congenital syphilis on the lives, health and longevity of ethnic minorities, vis-a-vis, the African-Americans. 3. Develop appropriate, culturally-specific health education/syphilis prevention and elimination programs for the minority inner-city dwellers of Baltimore
Keywords: Syphilis Screening, Ethnic Minorities
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: None
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.