In our sixth episode, Larry Prescott and Amy Carter speak with Dr. Emily Adhikari, Medical Director of Perinatal Infectious Diseases at Parkland Hospital and Assistant Professor in the Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, Texas. They discuss the difference between standard prenatal care and Maternal-Fetal Medicine and the importance of attending specialist appointments. They also explain the possible effects of untreated syphilis during pregnancy and why treatment should not be delayed. Weblinks:https://www.dshs.state.tx.us/hivstd/reporting/#syphilishttps://www.dshs.state.tx.us/hivstd/info/cs/provider.shtmhttps://www.parklandhealth.org/gynecologyhttps://www.dshs.state.tx.us/hivstd/

Episodio 5: Una charla sobre el Valle del Río Grande de Texas Un episodio especial en inglés y español. El presentador Diego Martínez, Coordinador de Datos de Vigilancia del Departamento Estatal de Servicios de Salud, da la bienvenida a las invitadas Maricruz Ayala de la Región de Salud Pública 11, y a Dina Balladares de la Universidad de Texas del Valle del Río Grande, para charlar sobre lo que hace especial al Valle. Destacan qué es la sífilis, los retos que enfrenta el Valle en cuanto al manejo de la enfermedad y los métodos especiales que utilizan para controlar las crecientes tasas de sífilis y sífilis congénita en esta región de Texas en particular. Este episodio llamado “Exploración de una epidemia: La sífilis congénita", que también está disponible en inglés, es presentado como de costumbre por Larry Prescott, Consultor de Seguimiento de Salud Pública y por Amy Carter, Coordinadora de la Sífilis Congénita, ambos del Departamento Estatal de Servicios de Salud.

Episode 5: A Conversation in the Rio Grande Valley A special dual episode in English and Spanish. Hosts Larry Prescott and AmyCarter welcome guests Maricruz Ayala, Public Health Region 11, and DinaBalladares, University of Texas-Rio Grande Valley, to talk about what makes theRio Grande Valley of Texas unique. They spotlight what syphilis is, thechallenges the valley faces with disease intervention, and the uniqueapproaches they take to address the rising rates of syphilis and congenitalsyphilis in this special part of Texas. This episode is also available inSpanish, hosted by DSHS Surveillance Data Coordinator Diego Martinez.  https://www.dshs.state.tx.us/hivstd/info/cs/public.shtmwww.facebook.com/prevent_congenital_syphiishttps://www.tapchw.org/https://dshs.texas.gov/CHWNetworksandAssociations.pdf

Episode 4: Health Department Calling: Public Health Follow-Up and Partner ServicesHost Larry Prescott welcomes co-host Amy Carter, DSHS Congenital Syphilis Coordinator to the podcast. They are joined by Maria Martha Hernandez and Lupita Thornton from the City of Houston for a conversation about the role of Disease Intervention Specialists (DIS) in Public Health Follow Up and Partner Services. They explore the work of DIS work is done, experiences from the field, and highlight the specialized work of our congenital syphilis investigators. This episode’s guests and hosts share real stories from the field and highlight why the health department contacts not only individuals who have tested positive for syphilis but also those who may have had a syphilis exposure.Weblinks:https://www.dshs.state.tx.us/hivstd/info/cs/public.shtmhttps://www.dshs.state.tx.us/hivstd/info/cs/fimr.shtmhttps://www.dshs.state.tx.us/hivstd/info/cs/program.shtmhttps://www.dshs.state.tx.us/hivstd/

Episode 3 is a conversation between Larry Prescott, Dr. Judy Levison of Baylor College of Medicine and the Houston FIMR Core Team, and Crystal Casas with San Antonio Metropolitan Health District. The discussion focuses on the importance of community action to address the congenital syphilis epidemic. Guests highlight past action, including legislative efforts, promotion of prenatal care, and San Antonio Metro Health's Healthy Beats Program. They also discuss lessons learned from fetal infant mortality reviews and the importance of relationships between providers, local health officials and the communities they work in.

Larry Prescott speaks with Karen Surita, DSHS STD program manager, and Amy Carter, Congenital Syphilis Supervisor with Dallas County Health and Human Services. These experts talk about steps Texas takes to understand and reduce congenital syphilis in the areas with the greatest number of cases. They discuss Texas fetal infant morbidity review boards in Houston, San Antonio and Dallas, common barriers to medical care, and missed opportunities to prevent congenital syphilis. They also invite listeners to get involved in the review board in their area.

In the debut episode, podcast host and DSHS program consultant Larry Prescott speaks with guests Dr. Virginia Bowen of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Jessica Del Toro, DSHS Congenital Syphilis Epidemiologist. These experts review congenital syphilis data and trends at the state and national levels and discuss Texas’ enhanced surveillance activities. They also examine the factors contributing to Texas ranking first in the United States in reported congenital syphilis cases.