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The Western Hemisphere’s biggest gaming Mecca Las Vegas is now experiencing the largest syphilis outbreak and it has health officials fearing the worst.
Health officials say it's part of a national spike in cases tied to increased testing, a rise in anonymous sex tied to social media, and a less consistent use of condoms.
The disease itself is sexually transmitted so if you happened to be on a gambling excursion to Vegas recently, no need to fear….unless of course you engaged in sexual activity with a promiscuous stranger.
Syphilis is detected through blood testing as opposed to the typical urine screening with other STDs such as the dreaded Clap.
Caused by the bacterium Treponema pallidum, syphilis spreads through skin-to-skin sexual contact when there's a sore or lesion, typically in the genital or anal areas or mouth. Symptoms aren't always apparent and can progress for years, even decades, without treatment. In early stages, it's highly treatable with penicillin. Hence, if you were in Vegas and happened to be sexual promiscuous while there, Gambling911.com recommends getting tested immediately upon your return home.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, symptoms of late stage syphilis include difficulty coordinating muscle movements, numbness, paralysis, blindness and dementia.
Clark County health officials declared an outbreak in Las Vegas last week after noting a 128 percent increase in reported syphilis cases since 2012, with 615 of the 694 cases involving men diagnosed in 2015. This makes Nevada's rate of syphilis the highest in the West.
Syphilis outbreaks have appeared in pockets of the U.S. in recent years, including in Kansas, Pennsylvania and Hawaii. The latest available data, from 2014, showed a 15 percent increase in cases overall, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said.
