Impact of Closure of a Sexually Transmitted Disease Clinic on Public Health Surveillance of Sexually Transmitted Diseases - Washington, D.C., 1995 Clinic closing impacts reporting of syphilis cases in Washington, D.C.

Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 1998. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.

Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report: December 18, 1998/ Vol. 47/ No. 49/ p. 1067

Although national syphilis rates have declined to historically low levels, syphilis remains a major problem in Washington, D.C. Currently, the city's primary and secondary syphilis rates rank 7th among major U.S. cities. In 1995, the D.C. Department of Health's Northwest (NW) Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STD) clinic closed, leaving one public STD clinic to serve the entire city. In the NW area, after the clinic closing, the number of reported syphilis cases declined nearly 57%. However, the clinic that remained opened reported a 9.6% increase in the number of reported syphilis cases during the same period. This study suggests that the closing of the STD clinic may have resulted in cases of syphilis remaining unreported and untreated. Reporting of syphilis cases and other STDs is essential for health departments to ensure that patients and their partners are properly treated and counseled. Access to adequate screening and treatment remains a major barrier to syphilis control. In order to respond to gaps in screening and treatment in areas previously served by public clinics, increased efforts are needed to reach high- risk populations in other settings (jails, substance abuse facilities, community organizations).

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