United States health officials are concerned over the alarming increase in the number of syphilis cases in the country, which has now hit its highest record in history.
In a report released by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), syphilis cases in the U.S. have steeply increased in number and they occurred mostly among gay men and bisexuals. Syphilis has been considered as a restrained sexually transmitted disease in the U.S., which recorded only 6,000 cases in 2000.
However, the numbers augmented almost three-fold in the years 2005 up to 2013, hitting a record high of over 16,000 syphilis cases and 91.1 percent of these are from men of all ages, particularly the African-Americans, Hispanics and white men in every region of the U.S.
The number of number of people infected with syphilis almost doubled in 2012, with 9,000 cases, and they were mostly gay men, bisexuals, and men having sex with other men.
Meanwhile, cases in women are much lower, as per CDC, and remained steady over the years.
Still, there are undeniable leaps and bounds evident on the number of syphilis cases annually, from 2.9 cases per 100,000 people to 5.3 cases, and mostly they are from the third sex.
"We are very concerned about what we consider this rising epidemic of syphilis among gay and bisexual men," said Dr. Gail Bolan, director of the CDC's division of STD prevention. "This is a consistent, disturbing trend."
According to CDC, syphilis is dubbed as "the great imitator" due to a range of symptoms that can be similar to other types of diseases. When a person gets infected with syphilis, the symptoms do not show at first. At times, it could be mistaken as an ingrown hair, a zipper cut, or simply an innocuous bump.
Come the second phase of syphilis, where non-itchy rashes develop in almost any part of the body. Some rashes develop on the palms of hands and soles of feet, while some show up in the entire body.
Syphilis is a sexually transmitted disease that is not diagnosed immediately, Bolan said. Some doctors may dismiss it for herpes, as the symptoms exhibit sores in the genital area, hence failing to treat the disease right away.
Practicing proper hygiene such as washing of genitals, particularly with the use of a douche (or a wash made of water and vinegar), is not enough to protect oneself from syphilis. The use of latex condoms and dental dams properly during sex and sticking with your partner are still the best practices to avoid syphilis, Bolan said.
