Syphilis is relatively easy to treat. But that fact hasn’t stopped an unremitting increase in the disease that is hitting Native Americans hardest. Public health officials say American Indian and Alaska Native people currently suffer the highest syphilis infection rates of any group in the country – and the highest recorded since the cure was discovered in 1941. The Indian Health Service warns cases of congenital syphilis have resulted in stillbirths or infant deaths shortly after birth. Medical officials have a series of detection and treatment recommendations. We’ll revisit the problem of syphilis infections and discuss the strategies for solving it.
To join the discussion, call 1-800-996-2848
Dr. J. Kēhaulani Kauanui (Native Hawaiian), professor at Princeton University, scholar-activist, author, and radio host and producer
Brandon Benallie (Diné and Hopi), Diné anarchist
Dr. Jeff Corntassel (citizen of the Cherokee Nation), professor of Indigenous Studies at the University of Victoria and the host of the Frontlines are Everywhere podcast
Dr. Claudio Lomnitz, Campbell Family Professor and Chair of the Anthropology Department at Columbia University and author of The Return of Comrade Ricardo Flores Magón