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 |
Gonorrhea |
Primary & Secondary |
Congenital Syphilis |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
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 |
Gonorrhea |
Primary & Secondary |
Congenital Syphilis |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
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