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Border Report Section 5 – Sexually Transmitted Diseases

The Texas-Mexico border region has the lowest rates of gonorrhea and primary/secondary syphilis but has the highest rate of congenital syphilis. According to the CDC, congenital syphilis occurs when a mother with syphilis passes the infection on to her baby during pregnancy. In the U.S., there has been a sharp increase in congenital syphilis cases. This high rate among the Texas-Mexico border population might be the result of reduced access to healthcare, especially prenatal care.

Chlamydia rates are slightly higher in the Texas-Mexico border region compared to other Texas regions (table 7a). Chlamydia infection is often asymptomatic. It is possible that missed opportunities for screening may result in more untreated infections. Some infections may be detected when women in underserved areas access the healthcare system for prenatal care or delivery.

Lower rates of gonorrhea and primary/secondary syphilis may reflect a lower community prevalence of these diseases. Since these infections are often symptomatic, infected individuals may be more motivated to seek treatment (see table 7a).
 

Table 7a: Sexually Transmitted Disease Diagnoses by Region, 2017

Region

Chlamydia
Diagnoses

Gonorrhea
Diagnoses

Primary & Secondary
Syphilis Diagnoses

Congenital Syphilis
Diagnoses

 

Number

Rate*

Number

Rate*

Number

Rate*

Number

Rate**

Texas

144,801

511.6

45,346

160.2

2,152

7.6

164

40.7

Austin TGA

12,543

592.8

4,199

198.5

343

16.2

3†

11.2

Dallas EMA

26,300

526.8

9,261

185.5

462

9.3

31

45.7

Fort Worth TGA

9,326

386.4

3,007

124.6

201

8.3

8

24.5

Houston EMA

31,471

510.5

9,603

155.8

367

6.0

52

56.0

San Antonio TGA

13,435

589.0

4,616

200.0

317

13.7

13

40.4

East Texas TGA

12,199

444.4

3,965

144.5

91

3.3

11

30.8

All Other Texas

26,496

554.1

8,846

185.0

253

5.3

15

22.4

Texas-Mexico Border

13,031

468.3

1,849

66.4

118

4.2

31

63.8

* Rate per 100,000 population
** Rate per 100,000 live births
Source: Texas STD-MIS Surveillance System as of July 13, 2018 
 

Table 7b: Counties where rate for any STD exceeded Texas-Mexico Border Region average

Region

Chlamydia
Diagnoses

Gonorrhea
Diagnoses

Primary & Secondary
Syphilis Diagnoses

Congenital Syphilis
Diagnoses

 

Number

Rate*

Number

Rate*

Number

Rate*

Number

Rate**

Brewster

47

471.4

7

70.2

0

0.0

0

0.0

Brooks

50

660.8

9

118.9

1†

13.2

0

0.0

Cameron

2,083

446.2

282

60.4

2†

0.4

6

82.9

Dimmit

83

779.7

9

84.5

0

0.0

0

0.0

Duval

180

1,451.8

23

185.5

0

0.0

0

0.0

El Paso

4,269

472.0

726

80.3

104

11.5

2†

14.8

Frio

101

525.2

13

67.6

1†

5.2

0

0.0

Hidalgo

3,806

408.8

525

56.4

2†

0.2

17

105.7

Pecos

52

312.1

12

72.0

2†

12.0

0

0.0

Reeves

58

397.1

14

95.9

0

0.0

0

0.0

Webb

1,239

418.9

128

43.3

2†

0.7

6

112.0

* Rate per 100,000 population
** Rate per 100,000 live births
† Rates calculated with a numerator of ≤5 are statistically unstable and should be interpreted with caution
Source: Texas STD-MIS Surveillance System as of July 13, 2018 
 

HIV, STDs, and TB in the Texas-Mexico Border Region