Cases of syphilis have increased 80% since 2018, according to the Mississippi State Department of Health, with much of that surge happening since the COVID-19 pandemic.

In 2021, Mississippi ranked sixth in the nation for syphilis incidence, at 28.1 cases per 100,000 people, and fourth nationally on congenital syphilis incidence, at 182 per 100,000 live births. Congenital syphilis involves the infection of a baby from a mother who is already infected.

Locally, syphilis cases have also increased.

In 2020, there were nine reported cases in Lafayette County, 14 reported cases in Panola County and three reported cases in Yalobusha County.

In 2022, which is the more recent available data, Lafayette County had 12 reported cases; Panola had 17 reported cases and Yalobusha had six reported cases.

However, efforts to bring down the syphilis rate received some much-needed help recently.

Thanks to a $1 million grant from the federal Health Resources and Services Administration, a collaborative effort at the University of Mississippi Medical Center will launch a yearlong intensive initiative to increase syphilis awareness, testing and treatment – with a specific focus on preventing and treating syphilis in pregnancy.

“It’s a nationwide problem but it’s especially problematic here,” said. Dr. Thomas Dobbs, dean of the John D. Bower School of Population Health at UMMC. “Part of the reason for the continued spike is access to care. Another part is the pandemic preventing people from getting screened and the diversion of public resources needed to fight COVID.”

UMMC will partner with a variety of clinics and community-based organizations across the state to enhance the diagnosis and treatment of syphilis in the general population. The Medical Center will also work with the Mississippi State Department of Health to ensure completion of treatment of syphilis patients and partner tracing.

In addition to a social media and advertising blitz throughout the state – targeting population centers such as metro Jackson, Hattiesburg and Desoto County as well as underserved populations in the Mississippi Delta – the initiative also aims to bring universal access to syphilis testing for all patients in the emergency room at the main campus and hopefully affiliate hospitals in Grenada and Holmes County, Dobbs said.

The institute will create a catalog of services and information on prenatal care, STI treatment, Medicaid eligibility and transportation to medical appointments, among other items, Dobbs said.

UMMC communications contributed to this story.