LV Syphilis cases rise dramatically

Molly Ball and Cy Ryan

Saturday, Oct. 15, 2005 | 9:39 a.m.

"Syphilis is back, and it's ready to party!"

That's one of the breezy slogans health officials are using to spread the word about an outbreak of the sexually transmitted disease.

To get people's attention, the message is going out in a novel way: on towels in bathhouses and cocktail napkins in bars.

"We're looking at the increase (of syphilis cases in Clark County) and calling it an outbreak," said Mary Ellen Harrell, Clark County Health District's public health nurse manager.

The number of new cases of early stage, infectious syphilis has risen dramatically, from 38 in 2003 to 58 in 2004 and 92 since the beginning of 2005.

The 58 percent increase for this year is prompting officials to look for unconventional means of educating the public.

"We want to do everything possible to stop the spread of this disease," Harrell said.

Focus groups were conducted with the gay male community, which is thought to be bearing the brunt of the problem, "and this is what people suggested," Harrell said.

The educational materials' splashy colors, slangy language -- syphilis, they say, is "EZ 2 Get, EZ 2 Get Rid Of" -- and curvy, retro-inflected design are a far cry from the usually stern, lecturing tone of public-health information.

The napkins have been distributed at a number of bars throughout Las Vegas, Harrell said. They say, "It's not what you bring to the party... it's what you leave with."

The bathhouse towels bear only the words "Heads Up," the theme of the awareness campaign.

All the materials bear the phone number to call for free, confidential testing at the Health District: 759-0888.

It's important to alert the public about the disease because many assume it's not an issue, Harrell said.

"Sometimes when we talk about syphilis, people think it's been eliminated, it's an old disease," Harrell said. "It's not."

Harrell said an increase in syphilis has been noted in cities across the country in recent years, and its is attributed to increasing complacency about risky sex, especially among gay men. Other sexually transmitted diseases, such as chlamydia and gonorrhea, have also increased locally, but less rapidly, she said.

Although the majority of syphilis cases in Clark County occur in gay or bisexual men, the disease has also been detected in women of childbearing age. This is especially troubling because the disease can spread to fetuses and cause birth defects, Harrell said.

A bacterial infection spread through all types of sexual intercourse, syphilis can be difficult to detect. In its early stages, it may appear only as a painless sore or an itchless rash. If it goes untreated for about a year, it can cause severe complications: brain damage, heart problems and eventually death.

That's the bad news. But the good news is that syphilis is easy to treat. Depending on how advanced it is, it can be cured with one to three injections of penicillin.

"We're getting the message out -- syphilis is here, it's preventable, here's how to protect yourself," Harrell said. If napkins and towels are what it takes, so be it.

"We don't want to spend all this time and money and then people don't see the information," she said.

Molly Ball can be reached at 259-8814 or molly@lasvegassun.com

Cy Ryan can be reached at (775) 687-5032 or at cy@lasvegassun.com.