Albuquerque cases often are found among homeless people and prostitutes or their customers, he said. Since September, though, some cases have shown up in McKinley and San Juan counties. Now we have two primary geographic focuses. It's not clear what caused cases to pop up in northwestern New Mexico, he said, but the syphilis appears to be related to people moving into or through the state. The Department of Health traces sexual contacts of people with syphilis, which usually is sexually transmitted, to make sure everyone affected gets treated.
Mothers also can pass the disease to their newborns.
Two babies last year were born in New Mexico with syphilis, and both mothers had lived in Arizona and had no prenatal care before coming to this state, Chowning said. The Phoenix area has one of the highest syphilis rates in the nation, he said. Before the development of antibiotics, syphilis was relatively widespread and could be deadly. But the bacterium that causes the disease is sensitive to penicillin and related antibiotics, Jenison said. If a person is diagnosed, he or she can be cured.