Pittsburgh AIDS Task Force Offers Free Syphilis Testing to Combat Regional Surge

Responding to a surge in Syphilis cases in Pittsburgh and the surrounding region, East Liberty-based Pittsburgh AIDS Task Force announces free rapid Syphilis testing available six days a week at its East Liberty office and at outreach testing events throughout southwestern Pennsylvania. New Syphilis testing complements the agency's established HIV, Chlamydia, Gonorrhea, and Hepatitis C testing program.

Though Syphilis has been on the rise nationally since a historic low in 2001, according to the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the rate in Allegheny County far exceeds the national rate. The Allegheny County Department of Health recently reported a 90 percent increase in the number of primary and secondary Syphilis cases in the county from 2014 to 2015, significantly outpacing the national growth rate of 19 percent for the same period. The total number of primary and secondary Syphilis cases in the county for 2015 was 129, compared with 68 cases the prior year.

In 2015, 93 percent cases of Syphilis in Allegheny County were in men and most were in men who have sex with men. The county also reported that 45 percent of people with Syphilis were HIV-positive and 62 percent of people in this group were under 30.

Syphilis is spread during vaginal, anal or oral sex and it notoriously difficult to detect, because it has many possible symptoms, many of which can be mistaken for other things. The only way to know if you have Syphilis is to get tested. During the first (primary) stage of infection, individuals may develop a painless sore or sores that are often mistaken for an ingrown hair or harmless bump. Common symptoms of the secondary stage include skin rashes and flu-like symptoms.

Symptoms from both the primary and secondary stages will go away, whether or not an individual receives treatment. However, if left untreated, individuals may develop serious health complications between 10 and 30 years after the infection began. These complications can include difficulty coordinating muscle movement, paralysis, numbness, blindness, dementia, and even death.

Syphilis testing is available at the PATF office at 5913 Penn Avenue, and test results are available in 10 minutes. PATF's onsite medical clinic offers treatment for Syphilis, along with other sexually transmitted infections.

For more information, call 412-345-0592 or visit www.patf.org.