The Public Health Institute at Denver Health serves as a local, regional and national resource for professionals working in STD and HIV care and prevention. If you don't find the information you are seeking below, please reach out to our STD Clinical Consultation Network.
Syphilis is on the rise in Colorado. Statewide, the number of cases has increased 3-fold over the past five years, while cases of congenital syphilis increased 7-fold over that timeframe. Fifty cases of congenital syphilis were reported in the state of Colorado in 2023 and 22 cases have been reported so far in 2024.
To address this steep rise in cases, the state health department recommends that all pregnant persons be tested for syphilis at the first prenatal visit, early in the third trimester, and at the time of delivery.
Additional recommendations:
- Test all pregnant persons who receive care in urgent cares or emergency departments and do not have documentation of syphilis testing during the current pregnancy.
- Test all pregnant persons in correctional facilities for syphilis: at the first prenatal visit, early in the third trimester, and at the time of delivery
- Include syphilis when testing for other STIs (gonorrhea, chlamydia, and/or HIV)
- Offer annual syphilis testing for sexually active men who have sex with men, transgender persons, gender-diverse persons, or HIV-positive persons. More frequent screening may be considered.
- Because the incidence of syphilis is now >4.6/100,000 individuals in the majority of Colorado counties, one-time screening for all sexually active individuals aged 15-44 years should be offered, with more frequent screening recommended for individuals with the above indications.
If you are a medical provider and have questions about the new recommendations, you can review the CDPHE syphilis information page for providers or submit questions through the National Network of STD Prevention Training Centers Clinical Consultation Service.
- AIDS Clinical Trials Group
- National HIV Behavioral Surveillance System
The Denver Sexual Health Clinic serves as a resource for medical professionals working in STD and HIV care and prevention. We can provide clinical rounds and educational opportunities for medical staff through the Denver Prevention Training Center. The Denver Prevention Training Center also has a wide range of other education and training opportunities that address STDs and effective prevention interventions.
- STD patients are encouraged to visit our Denver Sexual Health Clinic.
- People living with HIV should call our Linkage to Care team to be connected to a provider.
The Denver Sexual Health Clinic prides itself on research. Our current research endeavors include Strengthening the US Response to Resistant Gonorrhea (SURRG), the Oropharyngeal gonorrhea test of cure evaluation project and mycroplasma gennitalium surveillance. Learn more about our research efforts.
