Quiz time: The epicenter of syphilis is...

[297point1]

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I was taking a tour of a medical museum this past weekend, and I was surprised to learn that the city I was visiting was both the historical and current epicenter of syphilis infection (prevalence per population) in the United States.

What city was I in?

Answer tomorrow 🙂

 

[npage148]

I was taking a tour of a medical museum this past weekend, and I was surprised to learn that the city I was visiting was both the historical and current epicenter of syphilis infection (prevalence per population) in the United States.

What city was I in?

Answer tomorrow 🙂

Rochester, NY! Where can I get my cookie?

 

[WVUPharm2007]

I'd guess either DC, Atlanta, or New Orleans.

 

[Tinkerbell22]

Los Angeles?

 

[rph3664]

Most likely New Orleans.

http://www.avert.org/std-statistics-america.htm

 

[Tinkerbell22]

Most likely New Orleans.

http://www.avert.org/std-statistics-america.htm

I always wonder about those rankings though... they go off of cases reported to State Health Departments which occurs more often in public clinics that are more commonly used in less wealthy areas. It's been reported that private physicians are less likely to report cases (although they're technically supposed to I'm sure?).

 

[Socrates25]

I was taking a tour of a medical museum this past weekend, and I was surprised to learn that the city I was visiting was both the historical and current epicenter of syphilis infection (prevalence per population) in the United States.

What city was I in?

Answer tomorrow 🙂

The answer is Baltimore Maryland. Highest syphilis rate per capita in the country.

 

[WVUPharm2007]

Baltimore? I could see it.

Just ask Poot. He got out of jail after doing 15 months of a 4 and the first thing he did was get burnt by some random Balmer hoochie.

It's alright, though...he's back in Bodie's crew...but I heard they workin' for Marlo now...looks like the kid's got all of the West side with Barksdale out the game locked up in Jessup...

(I've watched that show too many damned times...)

 

[Ackj]

Rochester, NY! Where can I get my cookie?

I thought I heard we had highest per capita homocides, but syphilis too? I'm moving. 👎

 

[njac]

I figured Philadelphia - don't know a medical museum in Baltimore

 

[Pharmacceptance]

Yea, I'd guess Philadelphia too

 

[rxlea]

So what did the museum say about the reasons for this?

 

[Carboxide]

I'd guess San Fran. That place is a hotbed for sexual disease.

 

[rxlea]

I'd guess San Fran. That place is a hotbed for sexual disease.

Is it? What are the stats on it? Or is that just conjecture? More specifically, how does the incidence of sexual disease compare to other large cities (LA, NY, Boston, Miami, for example)?

 

[FenderBender]

St. Louis

 

[StevePerry]

Is it? What are the stats on it? Or is that just conjecture? More specifically, how does the incidence of sexual disease compare to other large cities (LA, NY, Boston, Miami, for example)?

Come on, they have gay people there, why focus on anything evidence-based? What the hell is wrong with you?

 

[Pharmacceptance]

I'd guess San Fran. That place is a hotbed for sexual disease.

I smell..... troll. Who let it in?

 

[Carboxide]

I smell..... troll. Who let it in?

Lol. Go away, pre-pharmer.

http://www.stdtestingsanfrancisco.com/san+francisco-std-statistics

Rates for syphilis is over double that in SF compared to the rest of Cali. Gonorrhea is almost four times the rate of Cali as a whole.

 

[297point1]

And the winner is...INDIANAPOLIS

The Indiana Medical History Museum is housed at the old pathology building of Indianapolis's Central State Hospital. CSH (formerly known as the Central Indiana Hospital for the Insane) was one of the leading research institutions into neurosyphilis, housing patients on the grounds while all sorts of treatments were attempted, including mercury (poor results), arsenic (cured syphilis by killing the patient), and malaria (the 102+ degree malarial fever proved to be good at killing the syphilis bacteria in the brain). Hence the historical epicenter for syphilis- people went there from far and wide to seek treatment.

As to why the city is still the current leader in syphilis prevalence following the end of the CSH research into syphilis in the 1960s and the shuttering of CSH in 1994...I asked the docent about this (it certainly seems like a peculiar thing to promote), and she joked that "College kids here are doing something else instead of studying".

Anyone who enjoys medical museums would get a kick out of this place- it is definitely worth a visit if you find yourself in Indy. http://www.imhm.org/

Thanks y'all for playing. No cookies for anyone, though the guesses were good. I never would have guessed Indianapolis either- Las Vegas would have been my first pick (They don't call it "Sin City" for nothing).

 

[WVUPharm2007]

According to the latest stats released by the CDC, Indianapolis is lower than most metro areas.

In fact, it appears as though the top 3, Atlanta, Memphis, and Birmingham, dwarf Indianapolis' syphilis rates.

 

[Tinkerbell22]

http://www.imhm.org/

Thanks y'all for playing. No cookies for anyone, though the guesses were good. I never would have guessed Indianapolis either- Las Vegas would have been my first pick (They don't call it "Sin City" for nothing).

I like to tell myself that the call girls and hookers of Nevada are carefully using protection more often than the average citizen who occasionally suffers from lack of good judgment when having sex outside of a monogamous relationship. lol

 

[Carboxide]

According to the latest stats released by the CDC, Indianapolis is lower than most metro areas.

In fact, it appears as though the top 3, Atlanta, Memphis, and Birmingham, dwarf Indianapolis' syphilis rates.

I'd also like to point out that SF was #7 on that list.

Suck it, haters. You guys just looove to pick a fight, even when you're wrong. Was it number one? Nope. But it's pretty damn up there. 🙄 it's ridiculous that I make a perfectly reasonable suggestion and everyone jumps down my throat.

 

[museabuse]

I remember reading a couple of years ago that Youngtown, oh was a
hot bed for STD infections.

 

[StevePerry]

I'd also like to point out that SF was #7 on that list.

Suck it, haters. You guys just looove to pick a fight, even when you're wrong. Was it number one? Nope. But it's pretty damn up there. 🙄 it's ridiculous that I make a perfectly reasonable suggestion and everyone jumps down my throat.

Hey Eric Cartman - We're sorry for "jumping down your throat"

 

[rxlea]

Hmmm... SF isn't only full of gay people. It's not about being a hater. It's just that stereotypes are a powerful thing. STD rates among heterosexual, elderly people in nursing homes/LTC are pretty high, too. Hell, the STD rates in college dorms are ridonkulous. But whatevs.

 

[WVUPharm2007]

I listed places with disproportionate amounts of black people and nobody jumped down my throat.

I guess gay is the new black.

Next thing down the pike will be "straight shame".

Gay people need to form formidable and violent gangs, begin getting into hardcore rap, and then, naturally, they will begin to look cool to suburban white kids. They've already got Omar from The Wire (2 references in one thread...indeed)...they just need more hardass icons and it will be game, set, match.

 

[Tinkerbell22]

I listed places with disproportionate amounts of black people and nobody jumped down my throat.

I guess gay is the new black.

Next thing down the pike will be "straight shame".

Gay people need to form formidable and violent gangs, begin getting into hardcore rap, and then, naturally, they will begin to look cool to suburban white kids. They've already got Omar from The Wire (2 references in one thread...indeed)...they just need more hardass icons and it will be game, set, match.

lol... if it makes you feel better i almost said something about ya dern racist list! 😛

 

[Carboxide]

Hmmm... SF isn't only full of gay people. It's not about being a hater. It's just that stereotypes are a powerful thing. STD rates among heterosexual, elderly people in nursing homes/LTC are pretty high, too. Hell, the STD rates in college dorms are ridonkulous. But whatevs.

You realize, don't you, that I never said ANYTHING about gay people, right?

 

[rxlea]

You realize, don't you, that I never said ANYTHING about gay people, right?

The guy up there did.

 

[meister]

The real correct answer for this thread is China¹.

Syphilis, a sexually transmitted infection (STI) that was nearly eliminated from China 50 years ago,1 is now the most commonly reported communicable disease in Shanghai, China's largest city.2 No other country has seen such a precipitous increase in reported syphilis cases in the penicillin era. In 2008, an average of more than 1 baby per hour was born with congenital syphilis in China, for a total of 9480 cases; the rate had increased by a factor of 12 during the previous 5 years.

_{¹N Engl J Med 2010; 362:1658-1661}

 

[297point1]

According to the latest stats released by the CDC, Indianapolis is lower than most metro areas.

In fact, it appears as though the top 3, Atlanta, Memphis, and Birmingham, dwarf Indianapolis' syphilis rates.

Interesting...and pretty hard to argue with these stats; I don't think this is an instance where prevalence and indicence rates for the condition would differ at all- the timeline from diagnosis to clinical cure is pretty quick. Nice find Mike.

Like I said, it was a strange thing for the docent to be promoting about their city (it's not like they were #1 for per capita income, college degree attainment, or home ownership)...to promote it and be wrong about it is bizarre.

Buffalo was at the bottom of the list. I credit Prazi for this. 🙂

 

[Tinkerbell22]

Kind of funny since the CDC is in Atlanta. My cousin works for the National Center for HIV, STD, and TB Prevention so he should know how bad Theh Syph is round these parts.

 

[fiorio]

OMG, I've been there a few years ago!

 

[297point1]

OMG, I've been there a few years ago!

Unless you were wandering through town and having unprotected sex with random strangers, this shouldn't be a cause of concern...

 

[armorking]

I saw this PSA a while back:

 

[apteryx]

I was fairly sure the correct answer was Pam Anderson's vagina, but eh, can't win 'em all.

...but you can catch 'em all. It's kind of like Pokemon in that you have to throw your balls out there to catch 'em.