Oglala Sioux, Rosebud Sioux, and Cheyenne River Sioux Tribes Launch Campaign Against Syphilis

The Oglala Sioux Tribe, Rosebud Sioux Tribe, and Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe are launching a campaign to address a significant increase in syphilis cases. From April 15 to 26, a concerted public health effort involving contact tracing will take place across the Pine Ridge, Rosebud, and Cheyenne River Reservations. This initiative is a collaboration between the tribes, the Great Plains Tribal Epidemiology Center, federal officials, and local tribal programs aiming to control the disease's resurgence by ensuring medication access and facilitating treatment for affected residents.

Data from the Great Plains Tribal Epidemiology Center reveals a 1,865% rise in syphilis rates among American Indians and Alaska Natives in the region, a spike that notably surpasses national trends. In particular, congenital syphilis cases have increased, impacting 2.5% of Native births in certain locales. These developments occur amid a nationwide peak in syphilis infections, the highest in 70 years, further stressed by a coinciding penicillin shortage. The situation has prompted calls for a public health emergency declaration by federal authorities, highlighting the acute need for enhanced prenatal care and syphilis testing in Native American communities that are already facing healthcare access challenges.