UCo Health reports rise in syphilis cases
By Terry Murry on Friday, October 1st, 2021 in Columbia Basin News More Top Stories
UMATILLA COUNTY – Umatilla County Public Health Director Joseph Fiumara isn’t just worried about the pandemic. He and his staff address numerous health issues on a daily basis, and one of the m is sexually transmitted diseases.
He said numbers are showing a slight increase in chlamydia cases and a slight decrease in gonorrhea, but his staff worries that’s because the pandemic is discouraging people from seeking health care for STDs that have symptoms that are easier to ignore than syphilis.
“What manifests with syphilis really sends people into the doctor pretty urgently,” Fiumara said. “Our numbers for syphilis are up two to three times over the last year or two than they have been previously.”
He urged people not to let COVID-19 force them to ignore other health issues. The trend that follows an increase in syphilis cases is an increase in HIV cases, and he doesn’t want that to happen. UCo Health offers screenings for STDs at both its Pendleton and Hermiston clinics.
“We don’t want to forget about these issues in this pandemic because they’re still there and they’re still going to cause problems for us,” Fiumara said.
