Oklahoma's high syphilis rate prompts marketing campaign

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) _ Oklahoma County, which traditionally has one of the nation's highest rates of syphilis, is fighting the sexually transmitted disease with a public education effort and improved

Monday, October 14th 2002, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) _ Oklahoma County, which traditionally has one of the nation's highest rates of syphilis, is fighting the sexually transmitted disease with a public education effort and improved health screenings.

The county had 90 cases of the disease in 2000, the 12th highest total among cities and counties nationally, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. National rankings are not available for 2001, but Oklahoma Health Department statistics indicate the county had 42 cases reported last year. Tulsa County was second in the state with six cases.

Last year, the state received the first of five annual grants of $285,000 from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to educate the public about the disease and to screen people for it.

Some of the money has been used to paint bus benches with information about syphilis and to test Oklahoma County Jail inmates for it.

Syphilis appears first as a sore, then develops as a rash. It can be cured with penicillin, but left untreated it can damage the heart, eyes, brain and other parts of the body.

Oklahoma County epidemiologist Jon Lowry said people with the disease often do not know what they have when they show up at a county health clinic.

``Usually, they're scared,'' he said. ``They're not sure what's going on.''

In 2,000, Oklahoma County's rate of syphilis per 100,000 people was 14.1, compared to a national average of 2.2.

The county's syphilis rate could eventually go up as health officials do a better job of screening for the disease and educating the public about it.

Lowry said he has challenged his staff to try to increase the rate by finding more cases.

``That demonstrates to me that my staff is finding every case they can,'' he said.

Most of the nation's syphilis cases are found in a band across southern and southeastern states.

Lack of access to medical care and economic problems could contribute to the problems these states find with the disease, said Deb Frederickson, a manager in the state Health Department's sexually transmitted disease division.

Vickie Franks, an outreach worker for Turning Point counseling centers, says syphilis has a hold in Oklahoma because it's a state with fundamental religion and fewer opportunities for education than other states.

``Oklahoma is the Bible Belt and we're afraid of the truth,'' said Franks. ``We need to stop being afraid of what the pastor or whoever is thinking.''

Other counselors in the state say complacency set in after the wave of publicity over HIV and AIDS prevention.

``Now that we're living a long life, we forgot about all the other diseases out there,'' said Adolfo Morales who tracks down syphilis cases among Spanish-speakers through the Latino Community Development Agency.

Morales says some of his clients, many of whom are migrant workers who catch the disease from prostitutes after years of separation from wives at home, still believe a bath in alcohol will cure it.

Public health officials in Oklahoma want to replace that and other misconceptions by adding marketing to their medicine.

``We've had a real pride in being that quiet, medical professional,'' Lowry said. ``That's almost detrimental to us.''

A message and phone number for free testing has gone up on more than 40 bus benches in Oklahoma City. Coasters with syphilis information will be left in barrooms.

Looking for other ideas, health workers asked community service clients and jail inmates what billboards left the most lasting impression. The winners were messages put out by topless bars and bail bond companies, but Lowry says even those will be useful in stopping syphilis.

``We might buy a billboard next to a strip club's,'' Lowry said.

Radio and television spots are being considered for drive times and around afternoon talk shows.

It's worth the expense, Lowry said, because ignorance of the disease is still doing sometimes fatal damage in the state and is even blamed for some birth defects in rural areas.

``Unfortunately, in the state of Oklahoma, we'll have one or two of those a year,'' Lowry said.