The Lubbock Health Department says syphilis cases have exploded — and not in a fun way. Reports show a nearly 300% increase in Lubbock County, jumping from 111 cases to 452. Neighboring Hockley County somehow managed an 1,100% spike, while Terry County doubled up too. Turns out, ignoring everything except COVID for a couple of years wasn’t great for tracking old-school STIs.
Health director Katherine Wells says syphilis often goes unnoticed at first, sneaking in as a painless sore. By the time most folks show up, they’re in stage two with rashes, hair loss, or vision issues. Left untreated, it can cause dementia, blindness, and for pregnant women, transmission to newborns. In other words, it’s not just a “rash on your junk” problem — it’s a full-body disaster.
Thankfully, the health department just scored some state grant money to hire “disease intervention specialists” — basically STI bounty hunters — to track down cases and curb the outbreak. Testing is easy, cheap ($20 without insurance), and available at both the health department and Planned Parenthood.
Lubbock: where abstinence-only “education” keeps failing, but at least syphilis is putting us on the map. Guess that’s one way to get national attention.
https://www.kcbd.com/2022/02/01/lubbock-area-sees-300-increase-syphilis-cases/
