Forget Ebola, There’s a Syphilis Outbreak In Comanche County

Sure Ebola is a deadly disease, but it also has not entered Oklahoma. While national headlines report on the virus, don't let it scare you into forgetting whats going on in your neck of the woods. As of right now Comanche County's Health Department has reported a 300 percent increase in Syphilis this past year.

Syphilis is a STD that is partly attributed to the unsafe sex practices of men who have sex with other men and unprotected casual sex. Unlike most STD's Syphilis is treatable. The main reason it goes untreated is because the people who have it don't recognize the symptoms, which can be found here.

According to Brandie O'Connor, regional director of the Comanche County Health Department, many of the patients who have tested positive said they met their partners at the park or through mobile apps such as Tinder and Grindr to hook up.

O'Connor says that the department is making packages or cards and condoms to hand out at bars, clubs and tattoo parlors to spread awareness. She also states that department officials are going door to door to reach out to the people that have had possible sexual contact with those that tested positive.

Even with these efforts, O'Connor says the best way to prevent it is to get routinely tested and always practice safe sex.