New estimates through mid-2016 show Florida's surge in syphilis cases continued last year, with cases of infectious syphilis jumping statewide by 36 percent by the middle the middle of year.
Syphilis in Florida grew by a shocking 72.8 percent from 2010 through 2014, and continued to grow by nearly 20 percent the following year. In some parts of South Florida, the rate of infection per 100,000 people is greater than in major cities like Los Angeles. Southwest Florida counties like Lee and Sarasota saw small numbers of the disease triple or quadruple during that six-month period.
Monday at 1 p.m. on Gulf Coast Live, Dr. Doug Brust with Lee Health explains what he's seen in his patients in Lee County and elsewhere in the region when it comes to syphilis, and its co-occurance alongside other STIs like HIV/AIDS.
Also joining the program is Diana Prat, the program director for the seven-county STD program with the Florida Department of Health.