from Medical Issues

Syphilis On Rise In Virginia
After Decade Of Decline

October 26, 2005 - Health officials in Virginia are seeing a dramatic rise in cases of syphilis among gay and bisexual males in the state-after a ten year decline in infections rates.

The Virginia Department of Health announced that 39 new cases of syphilis were reported from January to March of 2005. Cases grew from 156 in 2003 to 223 in 2004.

Pat Winter, director of nursing at the Western Tidewater Health District says that cases in Suffolk, Virginia have grown from five or six cases a year to nearly 30.

Most of the cases have involved gay males. Others are bisexuals who are infecting women.

Rob Mason with the state Outbreak Response Unit described one case involving a gay male who lives in Hampton, Virginia. This young man went to sex clubs in Washington, DC and engaged in sex through holes in walls for anonymous sexual encounters. "He never saw the people," said Mason.

Additional Reading: Unsafe Sex Practices On Rise Among Older Gay Males; Syphilis Epidemic Among Inner Sydney Gay Men.