Curie Brief
Turn on cookies to sign in
Signing in saves your progress to your Curie account. We can only do that with cookies on — turn them on to continue.
News
Alaska's syphilis surge gets a targeted response. An opt-out screening program in Alaskan correctional facilities identified new syphilis cases among people who may have had little prior access to healthcare. Of 5,163 people screened, nearly 1 in 20 had a reactive result — and almost half of those were newly identified infections. The program is proving that correctional facilities can be a critical touchpoint for STI detection and treatment.
Alaska has seen a staggering rise in syphilis cases — a nearly 2,220% increase between 2016 and 2024 — and a new opt-out screening program in state correctional facilities is helping to stem the tide. Starting in October 2023, adults arriving at Alaskan correctional facilities were routinely screened for syphilis (along with HIV, gonorrhea, chlamydia, and hepatitis C) within 14 days of intake, unless they chose to decline.
The results, published in the MMWR, show the program is working. Among those screened, 4.6% had a reactive rapid plasma reagin (RPR) result, and nearly half of those represented newly identified syphilis cases. Women were disproportionately affected, with 9.3% testing reactive. Encouragingly, 77.2% of newly identified cases had completed treatment by September 2025.
By the Numbers:
Why it matters: Correctional facilities serve populations with historically limited healthcare access, making them a high-yield setting for catching and treating infections like syphilis before they spread further into communities.
