Syphilis cases in Mecklenburg have jumped 166 percent in three years

The rate of syphilis is increasing rapidly throughout Mecklenburg County, jumping 166 percent since 2014.

County health officials said Wednesday the rate of syphilis infections was 8.4 cases per 100,000 people in 2012. Last year it was 28.1 cases per 100,000 people.

The grim news was presented to Mecklenburg commissioners by Gibbie Harris, who was named the county’s permanent health director Wednesday after being an interim for four months. Harris stepped into the top job after previous director Marcus Plescia resigned under pressure.

Plescia came under public scrutiny in February when the Observer first reported that the agency failed to notify 185 women about their risk for cervical cancer following abnormal Pap smears.

Read more here: http://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/politics-government/article180689021.html