Updates from the 2008 National STD Prevention Conference
Single dose antibiotic as treatment for early stage syphilis; 1 in 4 teens girls in the U.S. has at least one of the most common STIs

RTP, NC | March 18, 2008

Media Contact:
ASHA Media Relations
Fred Wyand
P.O. Box 13827
Research Triangle Park, NC 27709
(919) 361 - 3124 (voice)
(919) 361 - 8425 (fax)
mediarelations@ashastd.org

The 2008 National STD Prevention Conference convened in Chicago, IL March 10-13 and the conference theme, Confronting Challenges, Applying Solutions, was borne out by hundreds of presentations and workshops dedicated to equipping public health workers with the tools to understand and effectively tackle the most pressing issues in STD prevention. Read more at the conference website: http://www.cdc.gov/stdconference

Oral Antibiotics Effective in Treating Early Syphilis

Results from an eight-year study sponsored by the National Institute of Allergies and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), and presented at the 2008 National STD Prevention Conference by Edward W. Hook III, MD, Professor of Medicine, Microbiology, and Epidemiology at the University of Alabama at Birmingham suggest that a single dose of an oral antibiotic, Azithromycin, is as effective as injections of penicillin in treating early stage syphilis. .

After declining through the 1990s, rates of syphilis increased 13.8% between 2005 and 2006, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The disease progresses through several stages, each with distinct characteristics: Primary stage syphilis develops within a few weeks or months after infection and often leads to a single, painless sore at the sight of infection, while secondary syphilis occurs anywhere from a few weeks up to six months later with symptoms that include body rash, genital lesions, and a general sense of not feeling well.

Symptoms of syphilis usually fade even without treatment as the infection enters a latent stage, where the infection can last years or even decades with no detectable signs or symptoms. Untreated syphilis will eventually enter a late stage where organ and neurological damage can occur, potentially resulting in death.

The “gold standard” of syphilis treatment is Benzathine Penicilin G, which is inexpensive and effective but often causes allergic reactions and can only be delivered through painful injections. Azithromycin is a generally well-tolerated oral antibiotic commonly used against sexually transmitted infections such as gonorrhea and chlamydia and, if a full analysis of the data from the NIAID study confirms the drug is equal to penicillin in treating early syphilis, will potentially offer a much more convenient means of therapy, especially to patients with penicillin allergies.

CDC Study: 1 in 4 Teenage Girls Has an STI

One in four young females in the U.S. has at least one common STD, according to a study released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) at the 2008 National STD Prevention Conference in Chicago, and the American Social Health Association (ASHA) joins with other public health organizations in calling for policymakers to shift resources to comprehensive health and sexuality education programs. The CDC study found that in girls and young women between the ages of 14 and 19, over 3 million (or 26% of females in this age group) are infected with at least one of the most common STDs: human papilloma virus (HPV), chlamydia, herpes simplex virus (HSV), or trichomoniasis. The burden is especially high among young African American women, nearly half of whom have at least one of the four STDs included in this report.

That STD’s are an issue for young people is no surprise: Previous CDC data indicate that nearly 19 million new cases occur in the U.S. each year, about half of them in youth ages 15-24." This report is a wake up call," said Lynn Barclay, President of the American Social Health Association. "Infection rates rise, yet funding for programs to prevent and treat infections decrease, or remain stagnant. Only with a real investment in prevention and treatment will see an end to this epidemic." Barclay says outreach to the vulnerable populations is vital to stemming the epidemic.

To get accurate, easy-to-understand facts about sexually transmitted infections, download ASHA’s STI Fact Sheets in pdf format at http://www.ashastd.org/news/news_factsheets.cfm.

Also visit ASHA’s STI Message Board Forums online at http://www.ashastd.org/phpbb/index.php.