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TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 2015
140th Year, No. 23
Syphilis
spikes
in state
Gonorrhea epidemic
in Umatilla County
By KATHY ANEY
East Oregonian
On a graph, the spike in
Oregon syphilis cases looks
like a piece of steep roller
coaster track climbing into
the sky.
Oregon health of¿ cials
say that the number of cases
increased by 1,500 percent
since 2007 — from 30 to 450
so far in 2015.
Syphilis is a bacterial
disease spread mostly by
sexual activity. Men make
up 90 percent of the cases.
Gay and bisexual men are
the biggest demographic.
So far, the state trend
hasn’t touched Umatilla
County — the last time the
county had a case of syphilis
was 2013 — but a rise in
syphilis may be on its way.
Gonorrhea is epidemic here.
The county had 63 cases this
year, up from 48 in 2014, 21
in 2013 and four in 2012.
“It’s increasing exponen-
tially,” said Umatilla County
Public Health Nursing
Supervisor Sharon Waldern.
The upswing in gonor-
rhea likely means a rise in
the
even-more-dangerous
syphilis is right around the
corner, Waldern said.
“It’s a pattern we’ve seen
at the state level and in other
counties,” Waldern said.
“They saw a sharp increase in
gonorrhea infections initially
followed by a dramatic
increase in syphilis.”
The two STDs share risk
groups, which include men
who have sex with other
men, illicit drug users, people
with HIV and people with
multiple sexual partners.
Differences in testing might
explain the lag.
“The
gonorrhea/chla-
mydia test is an easy, fairly
inexpensive text,” Waldern
said. “Syphilis testing costs
more and requires a blood
draw and interpretation of
the results.”
Dr. Sean Schafer, a
medical epidemiologist with
the Oregon Public Health
Division, is worried about
the statewide jump in syph-
ilis.
“It’s huge,” Schafer said.
“We’re alarmed and we
would really like to see more
people at risk get screened.”
The numbers have ebbed
and À owed over the years,
See SYPHILIS/10A
One dollar
WINNER OF THE 2015 ONPA GENERAL EXCELLENCE AWARD
WORLD
REACTS
As France turns ¿ repower on
Syria in wake of terrorist attack,
world sends its love to Paris
and debates refugee role
AP Photo/Amr Nabil
A French soldier stands alert at the Eiffel Tower which remained closed on the fi rst of three days of national mourning in Paris on Sunday.
Thousands of French troops deployed around Paris on Sunday and tourist sites stood shuttered in one of the most visited cities on Earth
while investigators questioned the relatives of a suspected suicide bomber involved in the country’s deadliest violence since World War II.
France identi¿ es top attack ¿ gure,
seeks unity to bomb Islamic State
More inside
By GREG KELLER and RAF CASERT
Associated Press
PARIS — )rance identi¿ ed a
27-year-old Belgian who once boasted
about killing “in¿ dels” and fought for
the Islamic State group in Syria as the
mastermind of the Paris attacks, and
President Francois Hollande vowed
Monday to forge a united coalition
capable of defeating the jihadists at
home and abroad.
Addressing lawmakers after France
observed a minute of silence honoring
the 129 people killed and 350 wounded,
Hollande said the victims came from at
least 19 nations, and the international
community, led by the United States
and Russia, must overcome their deep-
seated divisions over Syria to destroy
Islamic State on its home turf.
Militant video via AP
Abdelhamid Abaaoud is the sus-
pected mastermind of the Paris at-
tacks was also linked to thwarted
train and church attacks, according
to French offi cials.
“Friday’s acts of war were decided
and planned in Syria. They were orga-
nized in Belgium and perpetrated on our
soil with French complicity with one
See FRANCE/10A
New cell
tower in
Pendleton
Construction
crews erected a
cell phone tower
for U.S. Cellular
at Southwest
10th Street and
Dorion Avenue
over the week-
end.
Tim Polumsky,
a network fi eld
engineer for the
Chicago-based
company, esti-
mated the height
of the tower at 75
feet.
He said the tower
was built to pro-
vide better cell
service for U.S.
Cellular custom-
ers in Pendleton,
although it isn’t
operational yet.
The tower is
located between
Dave’s Chevron
and Kwong’s
Cafe.
Staff photo by Kathy Aney
Brown declines to take
position on accepting
Syrian refugees
• Stadium massa-
cre averted: Quick
thinking and
strong security at
soccer stadium
may have saved
hundreds of lives.
Page 8A
• Love for Paris:
As world mourns
Paris, many in
Middle East see
double-standard.
Page 8A
• Stay the course:
Obama defends
current approach
to ISIS, saying pa-
tience will pay off.
Page 8A
• Fearing fear:
Terrorism doesn’t
have power to de-
stroy civilization.
Page 4A
By PARIS ACHEN
Capital Bureau
SALEM — Gov. Kate Brown has
rejected calls by Republicans to take a
position on whether Oregon should accept
more refugees after reports that at least one
of the suspects in the Paris attacks carried a
Syrian passport.
“The governor’s response stands,” said
Melissa Navas, a spokesperson for the
governor. “I can’t tell you what will happen
tomorrow or a week from now.”
Several Republican governors have
declared they will block more Syrian refu-
gees from settling in their states following
attacks, thought federal law suggests they
have no power to do so.
See REFUGEES/10A
PENDLETON
Surprise gift van moves
disabled toddler’s mom
By KATHY ANEY
East Oregonian
Thanks to the kindness of
others, Courtney Bissinger has a
new ride.
She accepted the keys to the
1998 Dodge Caravan Thursday
night during a bene¿ t dinner at
Cadillac Jack’s. The van has a
side loader and electronic ramp
that will allow the Pendleton
mom to more easily transport her
two-year-old daughter, Ember, to
medical appointments.
Ember was born with a brain
condition that affects her vision,
hearing and mobility. She recently
got her ¿ rst wheelchair.
As dozens of diners chowed
down Thursday on ribs and potato
salad, Bissinger looked around
the interior of Cadillac Jack’s
in wonderment as she held her
giggling toddler. Many of the
people in the room were unfa-
miliar.
“To see complete strangers
want to pitch in and help. ...” said
Staff photo by Kathy Aney
Courtney Bissinger and her
daughter, Ember, 2, share a
moment this week shortly af-
ter receiving a van which will
help her transport Ember in
her wheelchair.
the single mother. “It is very, very
touching.”
Life hasn’t been easy. When
Ember emerged from the womb,
doctors noticed the baby’s head
was smaller than normal. Doctors
ordered a CT scan and then an
MRI. Bissinger and her mother
waited anxiously for the results.
“We were freaking out but
trying to stay hopeful,” Bissinger
See VAN/10A
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