Dramatic rise in incidence of syphilis reported

The National Disease Surveillance Centre (NDSC) has warned of a dramatic increase in the number of cases of syphilis in Ireland during the last three years.

According to the July edition of NDSC magazine Epi-Insight, the centre was notified of 458 cases of syphilis between January 2000 and May 2002. In 1999, there were six reported cases.

Dr Mary Cronin, public health specialist with the NDSC, said over 80 per cent of the cases occurred in the Eastern Regional Health Authority’s jurisdiction.

The NDSC warned that 50 per cent of those infected with syphilis may not know they have the disease and this could add to the risk of spreading it. It stressed the need for people to get tested as soon as they feel they have put themselves at risk.

Another worrying factor is the two-to-five-fold increased risk of acquiring HIV infection when syphilis is present.

According to the report, the increase of cases in Ireland follows a trend with other European and US cities, where a resurgence in sexually transmitted infections have been recorded.

The rising incidence across the Western world is consistent with an increase in unsafe sex, blamed on a rise in risk behaviour associated with the availability of highly active retroviral therapy for HIV infection and a loss of impact of the HIV-awareness campaigns of the 1980s and 1990s.