For Native American communities in the Great Plains, data paints a clear picture of the devastation caused by an ongoing syphilis outbreak.<\/p>\n
According to the South Dakota Department of Health<\/strong>, 649<\/strong> cases of syphilis have been documented<\/a> this year. Of those, 546 <\/strong>were diagnosed among Native Americans, who make up only 9 percent <\/strong>of the state\u2019s population.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s completely preventable and curable, so something has gone horribly wrong that this has occurred,\u201d said Meghan Curry O\u2019Connell<\/strong>, the chief public health officer for the Great Plains Tribal Leaders\u2019 Health Board<\/strong> and a citizen of the Cherokee Nation.<\/p>\n This year, the tribal leaders\u2019 health board asked the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services<\/strong> to declare the outbreak a public health emergency<\/a>, which could ease access to other resources that tribal leaders asked for, including public health workers, data, national stockpile supplies and funding.<\/p>\n According to the Great Plains Tribal Epidemiology Center<\/strong>, syphilis rates among Native Americans in its region, which covers Iowa, Nebraska, North Dakota and South Dakota, soared by 1,865 percent <\/strong>from 2020 to 2022 \u2014 more than 10 times <\/strong>the increase nationwide during the same period. The epidemiology center also found that 1<\/strong> in 40<\/strong> Native American babies born in the region in 2022 had a potentially life-threatening syphilis infection.<\/p>\n O\u2019Connell said HHS officials\u2019 response to the Great Plains Tribal Leaders\u2019 Health Board fell short of fulfilling its requests. More recently, the National Indian Health Board<\/strong> also sent a letter to the agency<\/a> urging it to declare a public health emergency for all tribes in the United States.<\/p>\n Months later, no public health emergency has been declared, and tribal and health leaders are still responding to the outbreak with limited resources.<\/p>\n HHS officials pointed to their work in forming a task force<\/a> and hosting workshops to guide tribes\u2019 response to the outbreak. But tribal leaders insist they need greater federal investment.<\/p>\n \u201cWe know how to address this, but we do need extra support and resources in order to do it,\u201d O\u2019Connell said.<\/p>\n Still, some health officials serving Native American communities say they\u2019re seeing improvement. Natalie Holt<\/strong>, a physician and the chief medical officer for the Great Plains Area Indian Health Service<\/strong>, one of 12<\/strong> regional divisions of the federal agency responsible for providing health care to Native Americans, said new cases have been declining.<\/p>\n Indian Health Service<\/strong> facilities in the region have averaged more than 1,300 <\/strong>syphilis tests monthly, she said, and cases are down<\/a> from 93<\/strong> in January to 31<\/strong> in October.<\/p>\n This article is not available for syndication due to republishing restrictions. If you have questions about the availability of this or other content for republication, please contact NewsWeb@kff.org<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n KFF Health News<\/a> is a national newsroom that produces in-depth journalism about health issues and is one of the core operating programs at KFF\u2014an independent source of health policy research, polling, and journalism. Learn more about KFF<\/a>.<\/p>\nUSE OUR CONTENT<\/h3>\n