Syphilis on Rampage in Big Apple

The Health Department announced today that
doctors reported 260 new cases of primary and secondary syphilis during
January, February and March, compared with 128 cases during the same
period last year. Interviews with patients suggest that the increase is
concentrated among men who have sex with men, especially in the Chelsea
area of Manhattan. As in past years, half of those newly diagnosed with
syphilis also report being infected with HIV...

...Last year, New York City’s syphilis rate (7.2
cases per 100,000 people) was more than double the 2005 national rate
(3.0). But the resurgence isn’t confined to New York City. Other large
cities, including Los Angeles and Chicago have experienced a recent
rise in syphilis cases. Nationwide, the rate rose by 11% from 2004 to
2005, from 2.7 cases to 3.0 cases per 100,000.

The problem is not confined to exclusively gay men. In New York
City, the proportion of men with syphilis who report having sex with
both men and women increased from 13% in the first quarter of 2006 to
18% in the first quarter of 2007. This change could herald further
increases in syphilis infections among women as well as in congenital
syphilis cases.