U.S. Tribal Health Leaders Urge Washington to Declare Syphilis Outbreak a Public Health Emergency

Tribal Health Leaders Say Feds Haven’t Treated Syphilis Outbreak as a Public Health Emergency - KFF Health News The National Indian Health Board has urged the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to declare a public health emergency as an alarming syphilis outbreak, which disproportionately affects Native Americans, continues. This is the latest plea for more resources from tribal leaders after previous requests went unanswered. khnkytjaw KFF Health News

..The public pleas for testing are part of health officials’ efforts to halt the outbreak that has disproportionately hurt Native Americans in the Great Plains and Southwest. According to the Great Plains Tribal Epidemiology Center, syphilis rates among Native Americans in its region soared by 1,865% from 2020 to 2022 — over 10 times the 154% increase seen nationally during the same period.

The epidemiology center’s region spans Iowa, Nebraska, North Dakota, and South Dakota. The center also found that 1 in 40 Native American and Alaska Native babies born in the region in 2022 had a syphilis infection. 

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