Texas DSHS HIV/STD Program - Border Report Section 5

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 7). 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 7).

**Table 7: Sexually Transmitted Disease Diagnoses by Region, 2017**
	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
Counties where rate for any STD exceeded Texas-Mexico Border Region average
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

Border Report