"Syphilis is like the canary in the coal mine for HIV. People are going to be positive for syphilis before they are diagnosed with HIV. This means that there is a potential increase in HIV cases."For background, read Another U.S. Deadly Gay Disease Epidemic: Syphilis and also read HIV/AIDS is Mostly a Gay Disease, Says Government
-- Dr. Jill Rabin, Women's Health Programs-PCAP Services at North Shore-LIJ Health System in New Hyde Park, N.Y.
Also read Anal Sex is Main Cause of HIV Pandemic, Study Shows
-- From "Syphilis cases in U.S. continue to rise; chlamydia, gonorrhea rates remain stable" by Angela Townsend, The Plain Dealer 12/17/14
Primary and secondary syphilis is the stage at which the sexually transmitted disease is at its most acute and infective. People in these stages can pass the disease to others for up to two years after becoming infected. If diagnosed early, syphilis can be treated with penicillin or other antibiotics.
Gay and bisexual men continue to be most affected by the disease.
The uptick in syphilis cases locally began back in 2010.
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From "Syphilis on the Rise Among Gay, Bisexual Men: CDC" by Steven Reinberg, HealthDay Reporter 12/16/14
"There are over 20 million cases of sexually transmitted diseases [STDs] every year in the United States, and they continue to pose a risk of lifelong complications for millions of Americans," said Dr. Jonathan Mermin, director of CDC's National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and TB Prevention.
There are a variety of reasons that put gay and bisexual men at high risk for syphilis, said Mermin.
"Some are the high number of sexual partners and sexual networks that create a vicious cycle where the prevalence of syphilis is higher. And that leads to higher incidence, which leads to higher prevalence, and that cycle can increase the frequency of infection," he said.
The sores caused by syphilis make it easier to get or give someone HIV. . . .
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From "Men Still Drive STD Increases" by Michael Smith, North American Correspondent, MedPage Today 12/16/14
[The CDC] found, rates among men were increasing, while those for women were falling or stable.
Women continue to have the most reported infections -- some 993,348 cases in 2013 for a rate of 623.1 per 100,000 -- at least partly because they are more likely to be screened for the disease, the report said. The rate was a 2.4% decline from 2012.
On the other hand, there were 408,558 cases among males for a rate of 262.6 cases per 100,000 males, up 0.8% from 2012.
In jurisdictions where information for both sex of partner and HIV status was relatively complete -- defined as 70% or greater for all cases -- 52% of men who have sex with men with syphilis also had HIV. The co-infection rates for men who have sex with women and for women were 9.9% and 5.2%, respectively.
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Also read Obama Pays Pre-teens to Learn Anal Sex in Hawaii