South Dakota

Syphilis cases on the rise in South Dakota

Published

2 years ago

September 25, 2024

Syphilis cases on the rise in South Dakota

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (Dakota News Now) – South Dakota is on the wrong end of a growing syphilis concern in the United States.

The Mount Rushmore State sits at the top of primary and secondary cases in women of childbearing age, and number two in congenital syphilis cases which deals with infants.

Dr. Ashley Sands specializes in Pediatric Infectious Diseases at Sanford Health. She says more accurate testing shows that this trend has been going up since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, affecting not just adults but infants.

“Our syphilis rates all over the country have really skyrocketed over the last three to five years. With that comes an increase in congenital syphilis,” said Sands.

Those rising numbers aren’t spread across the state evenly either, with Native Americans seeing the largest increase in congenital syphilis.

“Whereas it’s one in 275 births across the state of all races, it’s one in 42 of our American Indian population,” said Sands.

Sands said that infection takes a toll on an infant and can lead to major complications and sometimes death. Treating it in infants it also much more intensive.

“Syphilis in infants can touch every organ of the baby’s body. From the brain to the bone marrow to the lungs and the liver. It can end in death of the baby. It’s something that we are seeing a lot of,” said Sands.

Sands wants to make people aware of the growing health concern, and wants people to know that syphilis is easy to treat in adults, which cuts down on the risk for infants.

“You can be tested very easily. Anybody can go their physician, their family clinic and get a simple blood test. Then it’s treated in adults very easily,” Sands said.

Access can be an issue, especially in rural areas of the state, but Sands says there are other options for getting treatment for syphilis than just going to a clinic, which can be difficult.

“I know it’s difficult to get in. There are fewer clinics. But there are ways to not just go to your family clinic. There are very quick point of care testing that can be done,” Sands said.

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South Dakota

Governor Rhoden signs school lunch bill into law

Published

5 hours ago

March 27, 2026

Press Room

Governor Rhoden signs school lunch bill into law

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (Dakota News Now) – Governor Rhoden officially signed HB 1082 into law on Friday, March 27.

HB 1082 is a bill that establishes parameters for reimbursing school districts that provide free or reduced-price meals to students.

Representative Kadyn Wittman, who has worked to pass the bill for several years, expressed excitement and gratitude in a post to Facebook on Friday.

“10,000 kids across our state will now have access to free school meals. No stigma. No barriers. Just the support they need to learn and grow,” wrote Wittman.

“So incredibly grateful to everyone who made this happen. This is a big win for South Dakota families!”

You can see the full bill and its sponsors here.

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South Dakota

Retired Air Force four-star general Maryanne Miller speaks at South Dakota Mines

Published

17 hours ago

March 27, 2026

Press Room

Retired Air Force four-star general Maryanne Miller speaks at South Dakota Mines

RAPID CITY, S.D. (KOTA) – Students at South Dakota Mines heard Wednesday from retired four-star general Maryanne Miller about her journey to the highest ranks of the U.S. military.

Miller is a retired four-star U.S. Air Force general. She is the only member of the Air Force Reserve ever to be promoted to this level.

She spoke about finding greatness and living a life of fulfillment. Her stories came from her time in the Air Force and as a volunteer for Saint Teresa of Calcutta’s Missionaries of Charity.

“We so much get focused on what is our next step in life, what’s the next career move, how do we make ourselves better in our career, and we forget about how do we make ourselves better as a human being,” Miller said. “Because they have to go tandem. If it’s not tandem, you’re going to get off track.”

Miller was commissioned in 1981 and rose through the ranks before becoming a four-star general in 2018. She was the only woman serving as a four-star officer in the military at the time. She retired in 2020 after serving for almost 40 years.

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South Dakota

USDA to offer distaster assistance to South Dakota agriculture producers impacted by winter storms

Published

1 day ago

March 26, 2026

Press Room

USDA to offer distaster assistance to South Dakota agriculture producers impacted by winter storms

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (Dakota News Now) – The U.S. Department of Agriculture is offering financial and technical assistance to South Dakota farmers and livestock producers who may have been impacted by the recent winter storms.

“I encourage impacted producers to contact their local USDA Service Center to report losses and learn more about program options available to assist in their recovery from crop, land, infrastructure, and livestock losses and damages.” said Richard Fordyce, Production and Conservation Under Secretary.

FSA’s Emergency Conservation Program and Emergency Forest Restoration Program can assist landowners with financial assistance to restore damaged land and conservation structures or forests.

“Our staff will work one-on-one with landowners to make assessments of the damages and develop methods that focus on effective recovery of the land.” said Jessica Michalski, Acting NRCS State Conservationist in South Dakota.

For more information about the disaster assistance program, click here.

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