The syphilis rate among Indigenous people in the Great Plains is higher than at any point in 80 years of records. More than 3% of Native American babies born in South Dakota last year had the preventable and curable — but potentially fatal — disease.
According to tribal leaders, the syphilis rate among American Indians and Alaska Natives in the Great Plains surpasses any recorded rate in the United States since 1941, when it was discovered that penicillin could treat the infection.
"We need to free up resources so we can take extraordinary measures to respond to these extraordinary circumstances," said Meghan Curry O'Connell, chief public health officer for the tribal health board.
Syphilis, which is transmitted primarily through sexual intercourse, is easily treatable. But the disease is life-threatening when left unchecked. Babies infected in the womb can be born in excruciating pain, with deformed bones, brain damage or other serious complications. They can even die.
The emergency declaration may be the only way to get money in time to prevent more babies from getting sick or dying. The typical funding processes — which go through the federal budget or the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention — can lead to a delay of a year or more before money trickles down to communities.
As Reported by:
https://www.propublica.org/article/syphilis-south-dakota-great-plains-tribes-hhs-becerra
https://www.npr.org/2024/01/31/1228195107/syphilis-cases-soar-in-us-cdc-says
