ODH: Syphilis Numbers Up in Stark Region

COLUMBUS, Ohio (News Talk 1480 WHBC) – The local eight-county region including Stark, Carroll and Tuscarawas Counties is seeing a big increase in sexually-transmitted diseases.

There’s a particular jump in cases of syphilis.

Syphilis numbers in the region jumped from 41 in 2020 to 109 last year.

And three of those in 2022 were congenital cases, where the bacterial infection was passed from mother to unborn baby, which can lead to a lifetime of health issues.

Substance abuse along with unsafe sex are behind the increase, according to the Ohio Department of Health.

Canton City Public Health offers free testing for sexually-transmitted infections every Tuesday and Friday morning.

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