Thousands of incarcerated Alaskans have been tested for syphilis, through a program aimed at addressing the high number of cases in the state, according to data released by the state’s epidemiology department in October.
Alexandria Steele, chief nursing officer for the Department of Corrections, said incarcerated Alaskans may have had trouble accessing regular healthcare.
“We can get them tested for syphilis and other STIs very quickly upon entry into our facilities, which allows us to do quick, targeted treatment,” she said.
The program is a collaboration between the state Department of Corrections and the Division of Public Health. Over the last two years, about 5,000 Alaskans in the state’s prisons and jails completed voluntary testing. More than a hundred of those people were diagnosed with syphilis and most completed treatment.
Syphilis cases have been increasing over the past decade in Alaska and nationwide. In 2024, 445 syphilis cases were reported in Alaska, the most cases in the past five years.
Syphilis is easily treated, but can be dangerous if left untreated, especially during pregnancy when a woman can pass it to her unborn child. That can cause serious problems for the baby including blindness, deafness or stillbirth.
Sara Clark is a program manager for Alaska’s section of epidemiology. She said the state has high rates of congenital syphilis partly because some women hit barriers to accessing prenatal care.
“Instability in their housing arrangements, disruption in in housing, disruptions in employment,” Clark said. “Women are occasionally getting seen in emergency rooms and other settings, but really it's that lack of access to prenatal care, and those are missed opportunities,” she said.
One pregnant woman in the program was diagnosed with syphilis, according to the data.
Steel said the department of corrections also tests for other sexually transmitted infections and hepatitis C, and she hopes the department can continue collaborating as people leave incarceration, including when people need long-term treatment.
