With a rise in syphilis cases among women accompanying the recent popularity of online dating apps, health department officials have taken to social media to help spread the message about free STD testing in Pima County.
Provisional results for last year show 108 cases of syphilis, 93 of which were diagnosed in men, according to county records.
While that was three fewer cases than 2015, cases reported by women last year at least tripled, increasing from “less than six” to 15.
“Recently, females have started getting it, so that’s a difference we saw last year,” said Azucena Huerta, lead communicable disease investigator for the Pima County Health Department, adding that in previous years, the majority of cases mainly involved men having sex with other men.
Of the 15 syphilis cases reported in women last year, 29 percent of the patients said they used internet dating sites.
Syphilis is easy to detect and easily treated. Its symptoms include a sore inside or near the mouth and/or genitals, and a red rash on palms, bottom of the feet, upper thighs or near a person’s armpits. Left untreated, the disease can cause severe nerve damage and blindness.
The increase in female cases that started last September spurred the department’s decision to run sponsored ads on Facebook, which guarantees more people will see them. The ads began running in mid-December, and Huerta believes they’ve made a difference.
“We haven’t seen a huge increase in testing and it’s really hard to document how many people came in because they saw the ads,” Huerta said. “The numbers are at least remaining stable in that we have a consistent level of people coming in for testing.”
In February, the department saw a small increase in testing, which Huerta hopes can be attributed to the campaign.
While personal information provided by patients during testing is confidential, a number of people specified they have Facebook profiles, which prompted health officials to believe online would be a good place to put advertising.
In 2013, there were 55 total syphilis cases reported to the county health department, but in 2014, that number increased to 142.
That year, the department began its “yellow and red” campaign on bus stops across town, aptly named because red spots and rashes can be a symptom of syphilis.
Because reported cases were predominantly in the men having sex with men community, the department also previously advertised in bars and publications popular among the gay community.
Despite the fact syphilis rates in Pima County pale in comparison to chlamydia and gonorrhea, with 5,470 and 890 cases, respectively, reported in 2015, the department has chosen to focus its advertising efforts on syphilis.
“This is the disease that causes congenital cases and there are more complications,” Huerta said.
Pima County has continuously ranked second in the state for syphilis rates, with the majority of the state’s cases coming from Maricopa County, according to Arizona Department of Health Services records.
As of 2015, Arizona ranks 17th highest in syphilis rates among 50 states, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Visit the county health department’s website at webcms.pima.gov for more information about sexually transmitted diseases and testing services in Pima County.
