Nija
09-16-2002, 10:57 AM
http://www.freep.com/news/statewire/sw62887_20020915.htm
DETROIT (AP) -- Cases of a centuries-old scourge are on the rise in Detroit, and federal health officials say the city has been slow to react to the syphilis problem.
As of July 30, Detroit recorded 245 new cases and could see 500 by year's end, according to a state health official. That's well above other cities that have grappled with a syphilis problem. Baltimore reported 53 new cases as of June and Indianapolis has 24 new cases through August.
Left untreated in adults, syphilis can cause brain damage, heart disease, arthritis and eventually death.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta has warned the Detroit Health Department about the problem, The Detroit News reported in a Sunday story.
In 1997, Detroit reported 94 new cases. By 1999, it had doubled and in 2000, the number hit 274. In a May 2001 letter, written to the state and Detroit health departments, the federal agency said "syphilis elimination in Detroit is not possible" unless critical issues such as hiring key staff, accountability, and the development of efficient disease intervention systems were addressed.
Two months later, officials with the federal agency wrote: "If the Detroit epidemic is going to be under control the utilization of every available state and local resource is going to be required. ... Your epidemic not only leads the nation it also shows no sign of slowing."
According to the federal health agency and state health department documents, the Detroit Health Department's Sexually Transmitted Disease Program has numerous problems with management and dissemination of information.
For example, the documents show that supervisors failed to oversee the daily activities of the staff responsible for finding people with syphilis and informing their sex partners. They also suggest the department failed to properly collect and analyze data.
The staff closed syphilis cases without learning the carriers' names, their sex partners and places they frequent, the documents show.
"Having limited staff and limited resources, there have been a lot of starts and not much follow-through" in Detroit, said Jo Valentine, the federal agency's national program coordinator for syphilis elimination for the Centers for Disease Control. "There are a lot of people working very hard, but not necessarily very effectively."
Valentine, who led a federal health team that closely examined the Detroit Health Department, said the Detroit program attempted to get the word out to residents, but only one staff member was assigned to provide basic syphilis training to Detroit's many organizations.
Judith West, the city's deputy public health director and acting health officer, said the department has reorganized and made some changes.
"We needed a change of management with the program and that has happened," she said. "We have a manager and his focus was on more basic things. We are being very aggressive about this now in terms of improvement and the approaches we are taking with it."
But epidemiologist John Potterat of Colorado, who assists the CDC with epidemics, said there is no excuse for what has happened in Detroit.
"There's no reason in 21st century America that any child should be born with or die of syphilis. There is no excuse," Potterat said.
sorry had to take a jab. :heh: :hihi:
on a more serious note, you would think, that in this day and age that STD's would, if anything, be on the downfall, with all the "awareness" and blah blah.
DETROIT (AP) -- Cases of a centuries-old scourge are on the rise in Detroit, and federal health officials say the city has been slow to react to the syphilis problem.
As of July 30, Detroit recorded 245 new cases and could see 500 by year's end, according to a state health official. That's well above other cities that have grappled with a syphilis problem. Baltimore reported 53 new cases as of June and Indianapolis has 24 new cases through August.
Left untreated in adults, syphilis can cause brain damage, heart disease, arthritis and eventually death.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta has warned the Detroit Health Department about the problem, The Detroit News reported in a Sunday story.
In 1997, Detroit reported 94 new cases. By 1999, it had doubled and in 2000, the number hit 274. In a May 2001 letter, written to the state and Detroit health departments, the federal agency said "syphilis elimination in Detroit is not possible" unless critical issues such as hiring key staff, accountability, and the development of efficient disease intervention systems were addressed.
Two months later, officials with the federal agency wrote: "If the Detroit epidemic is going to be under control the utilization of every available state and local resource is going to be required. ... Your epidemic not only leads the nation it also shows no sign of slowing."
According to the federal health agency and state health department documents, the Detroit Health Department's Sexually Transmitted Disease Program has numerous problems with management and dissemination of information.
For example, the documents show that supervisors failed to oversee the daily activities of the staff responsible for finding people with syphilis and informing their sex partners. They also suggest the department failed to properly collect and analyze data.
The staff closed syphilis cases without learning the carriers' names, their sex partners and places they frequent, the documents show.
"Having limited staff and limited resources, there have been a lot of starts and not much follow-through" in Detroit, said Jo Valentine, the federal agency's national program coordinator for syphilis elimination for the Centers for Disease Control. "There are a lot of people working very hard, but not necessarily very effectively."
Valentine, who led a federal health team that closely examined the Detroit Health Department, said the Detroit program attempted to get the word out to residents, but only one staff member was assigned to provide basic syphilis training to Detroit's many organizations.
Judith West, the city's deputy public health director and acting health officer, said the department has reorganized and made some changes.
"We needed a change of management with the program and that has happened," she said. "We have a manager and his focus was on more basic things. We are being very aggressive about this now in terms of improvement and the approaches we are taking with it."
But epidemiologist John Potterat of Colorado, who assists the CDC with epidemics, said there is no excuse for what has happened in Detroit.
"There's no reason in 21st century America that any child should be born with or die of syphilis. There is no excuse," Potterat said.
sorry had to take a jab. :heh: :hihi:
on a more serious note, you would think, that in this day and age that STD's would, if anything, be on the downfall, with all the "awareness" and blah blah.