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Updated: Sep 25, 2026

Comprehensive & Cost Effective Laboratory Monitoring of HIV/AIDS: an African Role Model
Published on: October 31, 2010
HIV infections and associated costs attributable to syphilis coinfection among African Americans
Harrell W Chesson1, Steven D Pinkerton, Richard Voigt
1Division of STD Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Atlanta, GA 30324, USA. hbc7@cdc.gov
Objectives:
We estimated the number and cost of syphilis-attributable HIV cases among African Americans.
Methods:
A mathematical model of HIV transmission was used to estimate the number of partnerships consisting of HIV-discordant African Americans in which infectious syphilis was present and the number of new HIV cases attributable to syphilis in these partnerships.
Results:
In 2000, an estimated 545 new cases of HIV infection among African Americans could be attributed to the facilitative effects of infectious syphilis, at a cost of about 113 million dollars.
Conclusions:
Syphilis prevention could reduce HIV incidence rates and the disproportionate burden of HIV/AIDS on the African American community, resulting in substantial reductions in future HIV/AIDS medical costs.
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