Experts declare syphilis outbreak in Houston and Harris County

HOUSTON (KTRK) -- City health officials are issuing a warning about the dramatic increase of a specific sexually transmitted disease. Officials say the number of syphilis cases is up 97 percent and they believe they know the reason why.

There's been a 97 percent increase in the number of cases of syphilis in the first seven months of this year. But the actual numbers are small. From January to August last year, there were 174 cases. From January to August this year, there were 318 cases.

Until 2012, syphilis was declining. So why the increase? The Houston Health Department says social media and how people use it to meet strangers for sex.

"Primarily we're seeing an increase among men who have sex with men and the primary factor in that risk group is related to the internet, meeting partners over the internet and through social networking sites," said Michael Thomas, the Centers for Disease Control advisor to Houston.

Syphilis begins with a raised sore. Three weeks later, that goes away and a rash begins and after that, it can go internal, but still affect the brain, heart and skin.

It's is easily cured with a single shot of penicillin.

A big concern is when syphilis increases, so does the spread of HIV. Approximately 39 percent of people with infectious syphilis this year also tested HIV positive.

The other big worry is statewide, there's been an increase in the number of babies born with congenital syphilis. In Houston, we've had 13 babies born with congenital syphilis.

The Houston Health Department is extending their hours so that more people can get treated or tested. HDHHS offers testing and treatment services at Sharpstown Health Services, 6201 Bonhomme; Sunnyside Health Center, 4605 Wilmington; and Northside Health Center, 8504 Schuller.

They recommend immediate testing for the following:

Men who have sex with menPeople who engage in anonymous sexAnyone who has had multiple sex partnersPeople who test positive for other sexually-transmitted diseases such as gonorrhea, Chlamydia and HIV

Houston's last syphilis outbreak occurred in 2007.

Information on testing sites and syphilis is available by calling HDHHS' HIV/STD Information Hotline at 832-393-5010. For additional syphilis information, visit www.houstonhealth.org.

(Copyright ©2012 KTRK-TV/DT. All Rights Reserved.) Get more HealthCheck »

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Security experts weigh in on armored truck robbery

HOUSTON (KTRK) -- It's been more than 24 hours since gunshots rang out in the parking lot of the Kroger in the Heights and an armored van was stolen.

We're still waiting for details on how much money was stolen in the heist, and police have not released much information about the suspect. But there are questions about what went wrong, and how the suspect was able to take control of the van.

As the investigation continues, some security experts we spoke with are curious about the outcome.

It happened in broad daylight Tuesday in front of witnesses -- an armored van and its two armed guards stopped at a Kroger Fuel Center and overtaken by what police were told was a lone gunman.

"It looked like he was shooting at the van. He wasn't trying to shoot out everywhere. He just focused on the armored truck," said one eyewitness.

The van and all the money it contained were hijacked and recovered one street away at an apartment complex. The robber was said to have left in a blue Chrysler PT Cruiser. The heist was big news certainly in the security world.

"It's very seldom that an armored vehicle gets taken," said Sergeant Glenn Anderson with BP International Security Training.

BP International is in the business of training those who want to be security guards and that includes working as armored car guards. What baffles Sgt. Anderson is why the armored car guards from Tuesday's robbery appeared to both be out of the truck and vulnerable to a robber. Usually, we're told, a driver always stays in the vehicle.

"It's very seldom that the officer inside the truck is going to get robbed unless there are high-powered assault rifles involved and explosives involved like you might see on your little TV shows. But it has to be a well-synchronized robbery in order for you to get the truck," said Sgt. Anderson.

As for the stolen armored van, it's now back at Triple D Security, bullet holes and all. We attempted to speak to the company office, but they told us no one was available.

It's unknown for now whether one guard left the van to protect his partner who may have been threatened by the gunman at the time. All of that will be part of the FBI investigation, according to a spokesperson.

(Copyright ©2011 KTRK-TV/DT. All Rights Reserved.) Get more Local »

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Experts say Stanford not competent for trial

  HOUSTON -- Medical experts for jailed Texas financier R. Allen Stanford continued making their case Wednesday that he is not competent to be tried next month on charges he bilked investors out of $7 billion in a massive Ponzi scheme.

A neurologist and a forensic psychiatrist testified at a competency hearing that Stanford has a "significant traumatic brain injury" due mainly to head injuries the financier suffered during a jail fight in September 2009.

"He has difficulties with remembering both new and past events," said Dr. Ralph Lilly, a neurologist hired by Stanford's defense team. "He has difficulty with his judgment."

Victor Scarano, a forensic psychiatrist, testified that the brain injury, along with a major depressive disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder from the jail fight, has made Stanford incompetent for trial.

Federal prosecutors argue that Stanford is mentally stable and able to assist his attorneys in preparing his defense. They want Stanford's Jan. 23 trial to proceed.

Stanford had been declared incompetent in January due to an anti-anxiety drug addiction he developed while jailed in Houston. He spent more than eight months being treated at a federal prison hospital in Butner, N.C., for his addiction and to determine if he had any long-term effects from being injured in the jail fight.

A forensic psychologist who helped treat Stanford at the prison hospital previously testified that the financier is now competent, can think clearly after being taken off the drug and has not suffered brain damage from the jail fight.

Lilly and Scarano told U.S. District Judge David Hittner at the hearing, which began Tuesday, that Stanford's brain injury makes him unable to assist his defense attorneys and to be ready for trial next month. Another medical expert has testified for Stanford, and a fourth and final expert is expected to testify for the financier as well.

Doctors who treated Stanford at the prison hospital accuse him of faking claims he now can't remember all events in his life prior to the prison fight.

Lilly said he believes Stanford is not faking his symptoms and that some of his memory loss is permanent. He also testified that Stanford's treatment for other medical conditions, including heart and liver problems, complicated his brain injury and memory loss. Lilly said Stanford is delusional, claims to have spoken "with God and the devil," and has a history of depression, including a suicide attempt while jailed in Houston.

While questioning Lilly, prosecutors suggested the neurologist was wrong in concluding Stanford suffered a traumatic brain injury and that many other medical experts believe such injuries are caused by repeated head trauma and not by one incident.

Stanford and three former executives of his now-defunct Stanford Financial Group are accused of orchestrating a colossal pyramid scheme that advised clients from 113 countries to invest more than $7 billion in certificates of deposit, or CDs, at the Stanford International Bank on the Caribbean island of Antigua, promising huge returns.

Authorities say Stanford and the executives fabricated the bank's records, bribed Antiguan regulators with investors' money from a secret Swiss bank account and misused funds to pay for Stanford's lavish lifestyle.

Stanford became a billionaire whose financial empire stretched across the U.S., the Caribbean and Latin America. His attorneys say he ran a legitimate business.

Stanford has been jailed since he was indicted in June 2009 by a federal grand jury in Houston, where his companies were headquartered.

He faces 14 counts, including wire and mail fraud.

(Copyright ©2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
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Experts meet to discuss health of the Gulf

  HOUSTON -- Scientists, government officials and industry representatives convene in Houston to discuss the health of the Gulf of Mexico and the future of its ecosystem.

The summit titled "The State of the Gulf and a Common Vision for its Future" opens in Houston on Monday morning with a presentation from Lisa P. Jackson, administrator and chair of the Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Task Force for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

The four-day summit concludes on Thursday.

(Copyright ©2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.) Get more Local »

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