According to the US CDC, syphilis and chlamydia levels have climbed to record highs, as reported in the 2022 STD surveillance report, with an 80% increase in the number of syphilis cases over five years, including 3755 cases of congenital syphilis. And with the ongoing shortage of the drug used to treat congenital syphilis, numbers are likely much worse now.
With the rising rates of congenital syphilis within Native American communities, Diagnostics Direct is partnering with the National Coalition of STD Directors (NCSD) in order to aid in meeting the specific needs of tribal communities.
With the loss of follow-up care for pregnant people, rapid testing is desperately needed to address the rising rates of congenital syphilis. Confirmatory syphilis testing takes some time and due to Indian Health Service (IHS) regulations, communicating follow-up test results and getting patients in for treatment has unintended barriers.
Rapid testing while the patient is still at the clinic is what is needed. The test, which detects Treponema pallidum antibodies in human whole blood, serum or plasma, takes only ten minutes to process.